STEM Success Stories

STEM Success Stories is one component of a larger National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The purpose of this five-year, longitudinal, mixed-methods investigation is to examine the effects of community cultural wealth (CCW) on the persistence of P-20 students in the computing workforce pipeline (grades 8-17) as they matriculate from middle school into high school, into a bachelor’s degree program, and into graduate school (i.e., master’s or Ph.D. degree) or the Computing workforce illuminating their successful computing pathways, and amplifying their stories.

2025 Conference Schedule:

8:30-10:00 - Arrivals/Check-In
9:00-9:40 - Pre-Conference Tech Tours / Research Poster Set-Up
10:00-10:15 - Welcome & Opening Remarks
10:15-10:50 - TEDX Presentations – Computing Students
10:50-11:00 - Break / Research Posters (self-guided preview)
11:00-11:45 - Professionals in Industry Career Panel
11:45-12:00 - Closing Remarks / Program Evaluations
12:00-1:00 - Lunch / STEM Research Poster Session / Tech Showcase & Interactive Stations
12:45-12:55 - Depart for Post-Conference Tech Tours
1:00-1:45 - Post-Conference Tech Tours

Objectives

ACCEYSS

This project will:

  • Contribute to fundamental research in STEM education
  • Build a knowledge base on the influence of community cultural wealth on persistence in computing education and the workforce in the United States
  • Create a robust compilation of quantitative and qualitative data that can be used to study P-20 educational and career trajectories.
  • Build capacity for K-16 educators, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders through the creation of products, professional development workshops, and an annual conference.

 

Get Involved

  • The annual STEM Success Stories Conference shares P-20 student narratives in a live, TEDx-style format with students grades 5-12 in Central Texas. 
  • The purpose of this conference is to build an interdisciplinary team of education researchers, policymakers, and high-tech leaders in Central Texas to explore opportunities to investigate lived experiences in the STEM+Computing workforce in Central Texas.