Throughout June, Midwest Dairy partnered with multiple organizations to provide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) learning opportunities to youth and educators. On June 19 and 20, Midwest Dairy partnered with Smoky Hill Education Service Center in Salina, Kansas, to provide an exclusive professional learning opportunity for middle and high school science and career and technical teachers. Following that event, on June 25 Midwest Dairy had the opportunity to be part of a Lincoln Public Schools STEM workshop in Lincoln, Nebraska, where 12 science educators, three District Curriculum Specialists, and two student consultants attended.
The event in Salina, Kansas, helped educators deepen their understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards as they walked through activities found in our new STEM units and transfer tasks. These resources are free to educators and can be found here.
During these interactive learning opportunities, conversations were robust as attendees shared ideas and discussed how they could use the activities in their classes. Furthermore, youth participants could earn eight professional development hours or up to three hours of college credit across their sessions.
The educator participants tested both 2 percent milk and lactose-free milk to determine which milk had glucose. This prompted great discussion among the educator groups and led into the lactose intolerance section of the workshop. The educators were excited to hear about these dairy-focused resources and how to access them. The resources and training were highly appreciated, with most attendees from both events saying they are likely to recommend these programs to friends or colleagues.
The partnership with Lincoln Public Schools will continue to provide support when needed and track the success of the dairy-centered resources being used!