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30 STEM Exhibitors | 180 Teachers & STEM Professionals
Highlights from the STEM Educators Expo 2024
On 1 July 2024, STEM Alliance Aotearoa and Te Hononga Akoranga COMET proudly hosted the Connecting Curious Minds: STEM Educators Expo. Located in MOTAT’s brand new Te Puawānanga Science and Technology Centre, this inaugural event was the first of its kind in Auckland specifically designed to connect primary school educators with STEM outreach providers and professionals.
We were delighted to welcome over 30 exhibitors and 180 attendees to this event, all focused on building connections and enhancing STEM outreach and education.
A dynamic evening with something for everyone
The STEM Educators Expo was packed with activities and exhibits catering to all areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. With our event’s specific focus on equipping teachers with new ideas and opportunities, attendees were able to:
Connect with STEM outreach & education providers. Exhibitors from businesses, universities and community groups showcased their STEM offerings, including resources, tools and technologies. These interactive exhibits covered a wide range of topics, from robotics and coding to environmental science and mathematics.
Hear success stories of authentic STEM collaboration. Our presenters shared how collaborative partnerships between STEM role models and educators can effectively engage tamariki in project-based learning. They highlighted the many mutual benefits of collaboration for STEM professionals, teachers and students.
Explore the Science Centre exhibitions. Children and adults found plenty to explore and play with in the newly-opened permanent exhibitions and tech hub at the Te Puāwananga Centre.
Network with like-minded STEM enthusiasts. The expo created a safe, vibrant space for networking, bringing together people from across the STEM ecosystem, including educators, researchers, community organisations and STEM business professionals. This offered an opportunity for everyone to learn from each other and discover something new.
Attendees agree: networking opportunities are priceless!
87% of attendees felt that the Expo’s networking opportunities were valuable.
This was the top highlight from the event and shows the value there is in creating spaces for people to connect.
Exhibitors and attendees alike valued the in-depth conversations and knowledge sharing that the Expo environment facilitated. Exhibitors were not just there to “sell their wares” – they were just as ready to listen and learn. This is how STEM Alliance believes that more effective STEM education can be achieved – by building connections, fostering conversations and opening doors for collaboration.
“The event was well run, it was invaluable being able to speak directly with the educators who share their challenges around lack of resourcing in their classrooms. This really highlighted gaps for us (from the industry) of where the need is and how we can be intentional to help support schools and the teachers.” – Industry professional
100% of attendees were satisfied with the event and 94% would recommend the STEM Educators Expo to a colleague.
This event continues to build on STEM Alliance’s record of creating unique and engaging in-person networking events that enable new connections and collaborations to form.
Join us next time
“Building connections and forming relationships is an ongoing process and having an opportunity to meet regularly and be available regularly is really important.” – Exhibitor
We have received helpful feedback and some fantastic suggestions for future events. As the trusted conduit between educators and industry, we look forward to offering even more valuable STEM community engagement experiences in the future.
To stay informed about our upcoming events and offerings, we encourage you to join our mailing list. Together, we can continue to connect curious minds and support a thriving STEM outreach and education community.
Thank you to everyone who attended, exhibited and supported the STEM Educators Expo 2024. Your enthusiasm and commitment is what made this event special! A big thank you especially to our event sponsors, MOTAT and Food for Thought.
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