ABOUT

STEM CONFERENCE 2020

The two-day conference organised by Science Centre Singapore will be on 5 and 6 November 2020.
The event will feature a mixture of presentations by local and international speakers that promote STEM education and careers through the various roles and contributions made towards the STEM ecosystem. 
The sessions are organised as keynote and parallel sessions. 

Among a variety of topics, there will be sharing sessions on best teaching practices in STEM education, the adoption of technology in the modern classroom and identifying new challenges, directions and efforts in continuing to promote STEM education to change the world for the better. 

MESSAGE FROM CO-CHAIRS

A/Prof Lim Tit Meng

Chief Executive, Science Centre Board

A/Prof Teo Tang Wee

Natural Sciences & Science Education

National Institute of Education

To maintain a competitive edge in the 21st century, STEM education is a pivotal gateway to the future economy driven by the globalization of technology. Science Centre Singapore aims to be at the forefront of STEM education in Asia and to create a bridge between educational institutions, employers and their communities.

 

This conference will inspire, engage and empower participants to expand their knowledge and gain valuable skills in teaching and learning of STEM while networking with like-minded professionals.

We believe the growing advocacy for STEM education will promote innovation, entrepreneurship and a higher level of competencies in the future workforce. 

On behalf of the conference organizing committee, we would like to express our deepest thanks to Senior Management of Science Centre Singapore, National Institute of Education, Singapore and its Head of the Natural Sciences and Science Education for their support in this ISEC-STEM Conference 2020 collaboration.

We would also like to thank our sponsors and partners for their time and resources. Finally, our heartfelt thanks to all speakers, exhibitors and participants for your attendance and we wish all of you having a very fruitful time with us!

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Dr. Christine M. Cunningham
Professor of Education and Engineering 
The Pennsylvania State University

Christine M. Cunningham is a Professor at The Pennsylvania State University. She has previously served as a Vice-President at the Museum of Science, Boston, where she worked to make engineering and science more relevant, accessible, and understandable, especially for underserved and underrepresented populations.  As the founding director of the groundbreaking Engineering is Elementary (EiE) project, she developed engineering curricula for preschool through middle school students and professional development for their teachers. As of August 2017, EiE has reached 14 million children and 172,000 educators nationwide.

 

Cunningham has also previously served as a Director of the Tufts University Centre for Engineering Educational Outreach, where her work focused on integrating engineering with science, technology, and math in professional development for K–12 teachers.  She also directed the Women’s Experiences in College Engineering project, the first national, longitudinal, large-scale study of the factors that support young women pursuing engineering degrees.  She is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education and has been recognized with the K-12 and Pre-College Division Lifetime Achievement Award. 

She also was awarded the 2014 International Society for Design and Development in Education Prize, the 2015 IEEE Pre-University Educator Award and the Alpheus Henry Snow Prize. In 2017 her work was recognized with the prestigious Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education. She holds BA and MA degrees in biology from Yale and a PhD in science education from Cornell University.

Dr. Stuart Kohlhagen
The Science Nomad
Director, Science and Learning
Kellyware Pty Ltd

Dr. Kohlhagen is a Professor who dedicated his career to science and learning and supporting the professional development of educators around the world. He has worked with Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre in Canberra for almost 40 years and has vastly contributed in shaping and delivering many of the programs, shows, and demonstrations that form a key part of the center’s activities and outreach programs.

He is a creator of The Science Nomad – a project aimed at supporting support educators and learners through the use of humble materials to provoke powerful learning and to gather and share from indigenous communities across the world indigenous knowledge and knowledge systems regarding science, technology, design, and innovations. For years, he has been implementing effective STEM education approaches and preparing educators for jobs of the future, all around the world.

He is also the designer of several public artworks – relating to a number of natural phenomena and has created a number of public encryption/code-based artworks. He has been awarded a Creative Fellowship by Wonder Walk Victoria to develop the concepts for several public science/art installations for the Melbourne CBD.

In 2000 he was awarded a Public Service Medal for his contribution to informal science education, and in 2013 won the “Iron Science Teacher” competition at the renowned San Francisco Exploratorium’s Teachers Institute.  He graduated from ANU with a PhD (working on drug resistance and energy metabolism in parasites with Chris Bryant). 

Associate Professor Teo Tang Wee
National Sciences & Science Education (NSSE)
National Institute of Education

Teo Tang Wee is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She is currently the Co-Head of the Multi-centric Education Research & Industry STEM Centre at NIE (meriSTEM@NIE). She has been involved in STEM education and research for more than a decade. Prior to her doctorate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, she was a chemistry teacher at a STEM school. Her PhD work was about a U.S. STEM teacher doing reform work. She has published extensively in STEM education research and delivered keynotes at multiple STEM conferences. Her current research interest is in equity issues in STEM education.

Tang Wee was awarded the Singapore Ministry of Education Teaching Award to read Chemistry at the National University of Singapore. She was an active member of the Special Programme in Science and Talent Development Programme. In 2018, she was the recipient of the NIE Research Excellence Award and the Xilong Scientific - Singapore National Institute of Chemistry Industry Award in Chemistry Education.

In 2007-2011, she received the National Institute of Education Overseas Graduate Scholarship to pursue her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  

Ms Chua Shi Qian

Senior Assistant Director

Sciences Branch, Curriculum Planning & Development Division 1

Ministry of Education, Singapore

Shi Qian is the Senior Assistant Director (Science) at the Curriculum Planning & Development Division of the Ministry of Education, Singapore. She has previously worked in two secondary schools as an educator and served in several divisions in government agencies.

 

Prior to her current position, Shi Qian was the Head of Department (Special Projects) at Hong Kah Secondary School. She was instrumental in starting the school’s STEM Applied Learning programme named “Real-World Learning through Electronics”. She worked with teachers and partners (e.g. STEM Inc at Science Centre Singapore) to introduce electronics to students and teachers. As an educator who was new to the foray of STEM, Shi Qian kept herself abreast of the latest STEM issues and actively shared her learning with teachers and students.

 

Shi Qian believes that students should own the learning process and through purposeful play, students embrace the joy of learning. She is an advocate of learning by doing, experimenting and tinkering in groups. Shi Qian was awarded the 2017 Outstanding STEM Teacher Award by the Singapore Ministry of Education, for her contributions to the STEM Applied Learning Programme.

THEME

“Learning without boundaries with STEM: Engaging in Exploration” is the theme for STEM Conference 2020. It aims to provide a platform for educators to have an engaging discussion among the community and to explore curating flexible learning experiences. It also aims at raising students’ aspirations in pursuing STEM careers by exposing them to real-world applications, problems and industries. 

 

As a field and curriculum that is centred on education, STEM integrates knowledge and skills from relevant fields, engages practitioners and experts from relevant industries to share and impart knowledge. More than just a school subject, STEM offers a fundamental way of understanding and changing the world for the better. 

OVERALL THEME

"Learning without boundaries with STEM: Engaging in Exploration" is the theme for the Conference.

STEM Conference 2020 aims to provide a platform for like-minded individuals who have a keen interest and a stake in STEM education to gather and mingle so as to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, ideas and good practices among educators, practitioners and experts from relevant fields and industries. STEM education can potentially help us to have a better fundamental understanding of the world and it is hoped that through such exposure, we will be inspired to apply STEM knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems and make the world a better place.

Sub-themes:

(A) STEM+: More than just STEM

STEM? STEAM? STREAM? METALS? HAMSTER? 
What are they and what do they entail? These acronyms suggest that STEM does not exist independently. How then does it relate to the other disciplines and hence, how could we design and facilitate more holistic learning experiences

(B) STEM Technopreneurship: Nurturing the Entrepreneur Dare

Failure is an essential experience in the process of learning and working towards success. Yet, in the Singapore context, our students are known to be afraid of failure. How could we then encourage our students to venture out of their comfort zones to experiment with novel ways of doing things?

(C) Going beyond STEM knowledge and skills

Embracing STEM involves cultivating a positive mindset in learning by doing. It is not limited to becoming technically skilled in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics. What are some ways we can cultivate a positive disposition and mindset towards STEM?

(D) Enhancing STEM learning experiences through collaborations

STEM education is not purely academic. It involves collective intelligence - where stakeholders from industry coming together to solve real-world problems which requires complex and creative thinking skills as well as tools to apply them. How can people collaborate to enhance STEM education? (e.g. in the mitigation of the COVID-19 global pandemic)

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

We are pleased to have four international and local speakers who will give Keynote Presentations.  

 

The sessions will comprise of parallel sessions and workshops from educators and industry partners with a range of themes. 

STEM Conference 2020

An UNTAME Event

DAY 1 | 5 NOVEMBER 2020

0850

All Guests to log into Virtual Conference

0900

Welcome Address by Assoc Prof Lim Tit Meng
Chief Executive, Science Centre Board 

0910

Keynote 1: Dr Christine M. Cunningham
Professor Education and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, United States

0940

Keynote 2: Assoc Prof Teo Tang Wee 
National Sciences & Science Education (NSSE), National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore

1010

Keynote 3: Ms Chua Shi Qian
Senior Assistant Director (SAD), Sciences Branch, Curriculum Planning & Development Division (CPDD), Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore

1040

Intermission | Screen Break

1100

Panel Discussion

1130

Networking Lunch & Booth Activities

1330

Track 1 | 3 Sessions

Track 2 | 3 Sessions

Track 3 | 3 Sessions

1500

Virtual Networking & Exhibitor Engagement

1530

Track 1 | 3 Sessions

Track 2 | 3 Sessions

Track 3 | 3 Sessions

1700

Virtual Networking & Exhibitor Engagement | Feedback Survey

1800

Day 1 End

DAY 2 | 6 NOVEMBER 2020

0850

All Guests to log into Virtual Conference

0900

Keynote 4: Mr Gary Lim
Head of Education, Google Cloud, Southeast Asia

0930

Keynote 5: Dr Stuart Kohlhagen
Director, Science and Learning, Kellyware Pty Ltd

1000

Networking & Exhibitor Engagement

(potentially inviting industry partners) 

1330

Track 1 | 3 Sessions

Track 2 | 3 Sessions

Track 3 | 3 Sessions

1500

Virtual Networking & Tea Break

1530

Track 1 | 3 Sessions

Track 2 | 3 Sessions

Track 3 | 3 Sessions

1700

Summary | Highlights

1730

Conference Close

Important Notes:

  1. Programme is subjected to changes without prior notice.

  2. Concurrent Sessions will be opened for booking at a later date.  Registered participants will receive a separate email notification once the concurrent sessions are ready for selection.

CONFERENCE PRICING

Category

Virtual Trade Booth*

Individual

Conference Pass**

Exhibitor Original Rate

S$600/booth

 Original Rate

S$50

Exhibitor Rate after discount

S$450/booth

Local non-ALP Schools and MOE Educators Role

S$30

Exhibitor Rate for more than two virtual trade booths

S$420/booth

Overseas Educators/ASPAC Member Rate

S$30

STEM ALP School Educators Rate

Complimentary

*GST Exclusive Pricing. Email sales@science.edu.sg for booking information on Virtual Trade Booths and Corporate Group Conference Passes (group rate applicable for a purchase of at least 5 passes)
**GST Inclusive Pricing. Visit science.edu.sg/stem-conference for the latest updates and information.