Symposium at Mason Square brings together education and technology thought leaders

Body

For the second year in a row, Mason Square was home to a global STEM education symposium organized by mEducation Alliance.

The symposium, STEMtastic Adventures!, held Oct 1-3, was co-sponsored by George Mason University's Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the Global Affairs Program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The alliance, founded by George Mason alum Anthony Bloome, MA Telecommunications '96, is a nonprofit organization focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to advance quality educational outcomes.

Photo by mEducation Alliance.

More than 250 participants from 40+ countries attended the symposium focused on advancing STEM education opportunities, particularly for learners in low-income countries.

Among other attendees and presenters, there were representatives from several Ministries of Education from Africa; major donors and foundations; multilateral and bilateral agency members of the alliance (e.g., USAID, State Department, Peace Corps); and other public and private sector institutions.

Presentations were organized around 17 STEM "track" topics including foundational literacy and numeracy, coding and robotics, youth STEMpreneurs, and advancing peace technology and climate education.

Participants engaged in dynamic sessions, hands-on activities, and exhibitions, such as a "Dolphin Tank" pitch event with U.S. developers and a STEM "Education Village" with 35 exhibitors, including from Arlington County Public Schools.

Keil Eggers, BA Conflict Analysis and Resolution '15, PhD '24, former Carter School Peace Lab manager, co-led a session on peace technology.

Keynote speakers included senior representatives from the U.S. Department of State, Amazon Web Services, and Code.org along with George Mason faculty members Charles Davidson, director of research and practice, Center for Peace Tech, and Kenneth Ball, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing.