Purdue CATALYST hosts “Generational Advances through STEM Education” Jan. 16

The College of Education’s Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST) organized and hosted the tenth annual Indiana STEM Education Conference, “Generational Advances through STEM Education”, on January 16, 2025, at Purdue University.

A conference attendee holding a brochure and looking to his side.
Bill Walker standing at a podium on stage with Jerry and Amy Ross.

(l) Over 600 educators attended from Indiana and other states; (r) Conference organizer
Bill Walker with keynote speakers Jerry and Amy Ross (Purdue University photos: A. Ott)

The conference included 85 presentations, 55 sponsors, and 22 research briefs for over 600 K-12 educators. Participants came from across Indiana, including Fort Wayne, Evansville, Gary, Indianapolis, and Lafayette; and from outside Indiana, including Michigan, Ohio, and Kansas.

The annual Indiana STEM Education Conference is tailored to the professional development needs of Indiana K-12 STEM teachers and administrators to share best practices, innovative instructional ideas, and current educational research in STEM education. It focuses on integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, which is a key topic in Indiana.

Research has documented positive learning results for students from integrated STEM learning opportunities and many schools in Indiana are seeking to become STEM Certified schools. Teachers earned Professional Growth Points by attending.

“This year the Indiana STEM Education Conference celebrated its 10th anniversary with over 600 attendees and more than 50 sponsors,” said Bill Walker, associate director of CATALYST and organizer of the event. “The conference featured inspiring keynote addresses from retired NASA astronaut Jerry Ross and NASA engineer Amy Ross. This milestone event highlighted the ongoing commitment of Purdue’s College of Education and CATALYST to advancing STEM education and fostering innovation across the state.”

Walker opened the conference, followed by a welcome from Phillip J. VanFossen, interim dean of the College. VanFossen recognized two fellow deans in attendance, Arvind Raman, the John. A. Edwardson Dean of Purdue’s College of Engineering, and Lucy Flesch, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science. He then introduced Patrick J. Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity at Purdue University.

A waist up view of Phil VanFossen speaking at a podium. Behind him is the conference logo projected on a screen.
A wide view of Patrick Wolfe speaking at a podium. Behind him, projected on a screen, is a presentation titled, "INDIANA STEM EDUCATION CONFERENCE: Generational Advances through STEM Education."

(l) Phillip J. VanFossen, interim dean, College of Education (Purdue University photo: J. Pike);
(r) Patrick J. Wolfe, provost, Purdue University (Purdue University photo: A. Ott)

Wolfe spoke to the attendees about the importance of STEM Education, mentioning the 33,000 STEM undergraduates at Purdue which make up 75% of its enrollment. He described Purdue’s College of Education as supporting Purdue’s strategic priorities by being on the leading edge of artificial intelligence (AI) and STEM education; offering flexible hybrid opportunities via online learning programs; and addressing the teacher shortage.

The keynote speakers for the conference were Jerry Ross and Amy Ross. Jerry Ross is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former NASA astronaut with more than 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes on nine spacewalks. Amy Ross, Jerry’s daughter, has been with NASA for over 30 years, is a former space suit pressure garment engineer and is currently on the Mars Architecture Team working to define the strategy for human exploration on Mars. Both Rosses shared their experiences, how STEM education impacted their lives, and thoughts about the importance of engaging K-12 students in STEM.

Amy Ross gave the first keynote presentation, recounting how her teachers prepared her for her career by giving her basic tools in STEM as well as emphasizing English and history. She encouraged the audience to help their students identify what they think is “cool and exciting” to direct their education and career, and to teach that both determination and failure are key to learning. “Thank you very much for being a teacher!” she told the audience.

A waist up, front facing view of Jerry and Amy Ross smiling for a photo.
A wide view of Jerry and Amy Ross speaking on stage. Behind them, projected on a screen, is a presentation titled, "INDIANA STEM EDUCATION CONFERENCE: Generational Advances through STEM Education."

Jerry Ross and Amy Ross [(Purdue University photos: (l) J. Pike and (r) A. Ott]

Following her keynote, Jerry Ross described his path to space. After relating key points of his journey and sharing photos and a video from life aboard the International Space Station, Ross concluded by saying, “What we do for NASA is not only important for our country but for all mankind.”

The Rosses then answered several questions from the audience before participants were dismissed to attend some of the 80+ presentations given by fellow education professionals and the Purdue community. More than 25 College of Education faculty, staff, and students gave presentations.

The presentations included: Exploring Stem with the Indianapolis Zoo; Connecting STEM, Agriculture, and Environmental Education; So You Want to Start Elementary School STEM?; Bridging Industry and Education; Supporting the Self-Confidence of a Student with Mathematics Learning Disabilities (MLD); Impacts of Informational STEM Summer Camps on Middle School Student STEM Identity; The Fusion of Science and Language through Smithsonian Science for the Classroom (K-5); Transforming STEM Education: The Grand Universe Center for Science and Space Exploration; Supporting Secondary Black Math Educators: A Call to Action; and many more.

Conference attendees chatting with each other in the exhibit hall.
A representative from Moss Enterprises showing off a robotic dog.

Participants had access to more than 50 sponsors in the Exhibit Hall [Purdue University photos: (l) A. Ott and (r) D. Starr)]

The conference was made possible by premier sponsors 1st Maker Space, 10Story Learning, Aidex Educational Systems, Amplify Education Inc., CATALYST, Ellipsis Education, Five Star Technology Solutions, GEMS@Purdue, Grand Universe, Indiana STEM Ecosystem, LEGO Education, MindLabs by Explore Interactive, NextWaveSTEM, Purdue University College of Agriculture Office of Multicultural Programs, Purdue University College of Education, SCALE K-12, South Bend Community School Corporation, and STEMSCOPES Science.

“STEM education is one of our outstanding areas where College of Education faculty – often in conjunction with faculty jointly appointed in the Colleges of Science, Engineering, Technology, Agriculture, and Health and Human Sciences – work on ways to integrate STEM subjects throughout the curriculum and introduce concepts through real-world applications of engineering design,” said VanFossen. “Nearly 60% of the College’s research portfolio is focused on integrated K-12 STEM education.”

Phil VanFossen, Jerry Ross, Amy Ross, Lynn Bryan, and Bill Walker all smiling for a photo.
Conference attendees seated in an auditorium.

(l – l to r): Phillip J. VanFossen; Jerry Ross; Amy Ross; Lynn Bryan, former CATALYST director; and Bill Walker;
(r) Over 600 K-12 educators attended the conference (Purdue University photos: D. Starr)

About CATALYST

The Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST) is an interdisciplinary research-oriented center that is jointly sponsored by the College of Education and the College of Science.

Source: Bill Walker, wswalker@purdue.edu

Resources: The Indiana STEM Education Conference 2025 presentations and sponsors list are available at https://sites.google.com/view/instemed2025resources/home