A University of Toledo faculty member is attending today’s White House Summit on Next Generation Schools to highlight her STEM education project.

Dr. Beth Schlemper, associate professor in the UT Department of Geography and Planning, was among the students, educators, philanthropists and entrepreneurs invited to Washington for the first-ever event to share their efforts to reinvent the high school experience to better empower students to seize opportunities in today’s economy, and prepare students for success in college and career.

The UT project aims to develop a curricular model that provides an accessible way of introducing geospatial thinking to students while providing them with the skills and motivation to pursue STEM careers.

Schlemper is engaging underrepresented students in real-world issues in the context of their own neighborhoods through the use of geospatial technologies and skills. Students are gaining knowledge and tools for enhancing their communities, as well as exposure to career opportunities in high-growth STEM sectors.

Today’s summit is part of President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union push for a national effort to create more Next Generation High Schools — schools that incorporate key elements of redesign, including more personalized and active learning, access to real-world and hands-on learning such as making experiences, deeper ties to post-secondary institutions, and a focus on expanding STEM opportunities for girls and other groups of students who are underrepresented in these high-growth, well-paying fields.

Schlemper’s invitation to the White House builds upon recent success of the UT Department of Geography and Planning’s efforts to boost STEM education. The University announced last month a UT faculty member is leading a $10 million NASA project to develop a new K-12 science curriculum that relies on hands-on experiments to engage students.

Click here for additional information on the White House Summit on Next Generation High Schools.

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