Fund Your STEM Learning Initiatives: Tips and Opportunities

Presented by Theresa Deussen, Ph.D., Founder and Researcher, Informed Decisions Research; Stacy Thibodeaux, Science Educator, Southside High School (LA); and Olga Vargas, Chief Marketing Officer, Vernier Software & Technology

Sponsored by Vernier Science Education

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Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education has never been more important. Regardless of their postsecondary plans, students will need to develop STEM literacy to succeed after high school. In addition, the relevancy of STEM teaching and learning remains a high priority. Although education funding continues at the district, state, and federal levels, educators have opportunities to seek and acquire additional funding for STEM projects.

Watch this edWebinar to hear from an expert grant writer and an educator successful at acquiring grant funding as they explore foundation and corporate grant opportunities for STEM education. Many of these grant opportunities are available in Vernier Science Education’s updated grant-writing guide—a comprehensive resource that includes best practices for writing a successful grant proposal, as well as over 100 upcoming national and state-specific funding opportunities. Viewers learn grant-writing tips, get helpful information from case studies, and leave with an understanding of how to stay on top of specific grant opportunities.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-12 teachers, STEM educators, school and district leaders, and education technology leaders.

About the Presenters

Theresa Deussen, Ph.D. is the founder and lead researcher at Informed Decisions Research, a small business in Portland, Oregon, committed to providing research and evaluation in support of informed educational decisions. She has written grants for educational projects as well as designed and conducted educational research and evaluation projects for over two decades. She worked as a researcher, manager, and ultimately co-director of research and evaluation at Education Northwest, before leaving in 2016 to found her own research firm. Dr. Deussen has a history of working on literacy projects and programs supporting English learning; more recently, she has been involved in studies of educational leadership, preparation for college and career, and enhancing STEM education. She is committed to supporting innovative and meaningful educational opportunities for students and helping educators win grants, collect and analyze data, and continuously improve teaching and learning.

Stacy Venable Thibodeaux holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has been in the science classroom for 22 years. She currently teaches at Southside High School in Youngsville, LA where she teaches robotics and Chemistry I and II. She has also taught biomedical science courses in a Project Lead the Way program and Chemistry I and II AP*. She has written over $120,000 in classroom and schoolwide improvement grants. She presents yearly at NSTA conferences and enjoys working with teachers who are learning how to teach in this new environment. She is the recipient of the Texas Instruments Teachers Teaching with Technology 2022 Leadership Award.

Olga Vargas is the chief marketing officer at Vernier Science Education, a company committed to partnering with educators and communities to increase STEM literacy worldwide. Before joining Vernier, she was the vice president of marketing for the assessment nonprofit New Meridian and the director of communications at Education Northwest, a nonprofit research organization. Strategic, dedicated, and passionate about education, Olga brings more than two decades of experience to her role. Her expertise spans all areas of marketing, communications, and business development. Previously, Olga was the business and marketing director for the Latin American Region for Texas Instruments’ Education Technology Division. During her tenure, she was in charge of all business and marketing decisions, from product definition and stewardship to government and stakeholder relations, as well as demand creation and sales, customer understanding, and professional development services for teachers.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

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Vernier Science Education is committed to teachers and to developing creative ways to teach and learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) using hands-on science. Vernier creates easy-to-use and affordable science interfaces, sensors, and graphing/analysis software.