The College of Engineering will host its annual Teacher STEM Seminar on Jan. 16 from, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. in

Lamar University’s new state-of-the-art Science and Technology Building.

The seminar invites local educators onto the LU campus for a day of collaboration and skill building. LU faculty will direct sessions, to help educators develop hands-on teaching techniques that can be used in the classroom to teach chemistry, biology, physics and math more effectively.  

“We want to talk to local STEM educators and find out what are the topics that are most difficult to teach,” explained James Henry, associate professor of Chemical Engineering. “Then we can brainstorm ideas for those subjects, and make sure the teachers are using the best tools and resources available today.”

Each educator will receive a 3-D printer to work on during the seminar and take back to the classroom with them. LU faculty will teach educators how to the machines to develop 3-D models, educational toys and equipment.

“Using the 3-D printers, we can help educators create hands-on learning lessons for some of these difficult subjects,” Henry said. “We will also introduce them to resources that are available online to create further lessons and learning opportunities beyond the seminar.”

The long-term goal is to build on the STEM seminar curriculum each year by maintaining a repository for designs and lesson plans that educators can access and interact.

“We want this to be a source of ideas and support for teachers going forward,” Henry said.

Ultimately, the STEM event reinforces Lamar University College of Engineering’s commitment to partner with local educators to maximize the quality of STEM education that Southeast Texas students receive before they enter college.

“We recognize that we serve the community surrounding us,” Henry said. “We want to make sure teachers have the best tools and training in engineering technology, and we can help provide that.”