The Center for Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Research Education and Outreach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville this week launched a new resource for area educators.
An online searchable database featuring 300 of more than 2,500 items available through its Resource Center lending library is available at http://inventory.stemideas.org.
This new inventory system was made possible in part by funding provided through a $9,000 donation from USTRANSCOM at Scott Air Force Base. The Resource Center began loaning materials to local educators more than a decade ago. The system centrally locates items that might be used once during the school year, but are needed by multiple educational systems. SIUE’s STEM Center has been able to lower equipment costs for schools, while ensuring better educational experiences for students throughout the Southern Illinois region.
According to the STEM Center Director, Sharon Locke, “With this new digital inventory, we hope that it will become even easier for educators to utilize our equipment. While we can’t answer a late night phone call about available materials, our website can be there 24/7 to help. We know that educators have limited time and shrinking funding, and we are here to do what we can to save them time and money through our resource lending system.”
Materials within the Resource Center range from curriculum packets to robotics kits, such as Lego Mindstorms, to sophisticated digital sensors like Vernier LabQuest systems. These resources have been collected with funding through grants and donations from USTRANSCOM, Vernier, the Illinois State Board of Education and the National Science Foundation.
“The STEM Resource Center has been incredible in supplementing our school’s science equipment,” said Matt Johnson, a teacher at the East St. Louis Charter High School. “They are great at helping you create lessons and assist with finding the equipment that’s right for you. They’ve helped immensely with my earth science and engineering, and even my geometry classes.”
Educators are able to borrow equipment for up to two weeks at a time. Recognizing that education doesn’t only happen in the classroom, the STEM Resource Center makes its materials available to community organizations, such as the Girl Scouts and the Edwardsville Children’s Museum.
“In the course of teaching physics, it is important to demonstrate physical phenomena,” said Assistant Professor of Physics Eddie Ackad from the SIUE Department of Physics. “The STEM Center’s resources significantly increase the range of demonstrations that may be performed with the assurance that the material is in perfect working condition. My job is educating, and the STEM Center is an invaluable tool for the job.”
To learn more about the STEM Center, visit http://www.stemideas.org.