Mark your Calendars for RSS26 Aug 23-26, 2026
We hope you will consider joining us in 2026. We will continue to have an agenda filled with practical, informational, and experiential presenters and activities. And, has been our practice in the past, a lot of time to reconnect with old friends, make new friends.
2025 Rural STEM Summit agenda and speakers
We invite you to scroll down this page to see a sample of this years presenter and the event agenda.
Rural STEM Summit's Featured Speaker
Dr. Melissa Sadorf
We are honored to welcome Dr. Melissa as the Featured Speaker for the 2025 Summit. Dr. Sadorf has a robust porfolio of K12 education as well as leading change in AZ. This Summer, Dr. Sadorf took up the mantle of Executive Director for the National Rural Schools Association. Don't miss her presentation on Friday, 8/29
A Peak into the SumMit - Sample of day 1
DoD STEM Ambassadors and DCEC Partners
DoD STEM Ambassadors and DCEC Partners
DoD STEM Ambassadors and DCEC Partners
Join Arizona's 2025 DoD STEM Ambassadors, Kim Alvin de Lara and Brianne Loya along with TIES STEM Ecosystem Director - Jenny Frank, and SciTech's Executive Director - Jeremy Babendure as they discuss the role of the Deparment of Defence in STEM Learning Opportunities. At Arizona Rural STEM Summit, our mission is to provide education and r
Join Arizona's 2025 DoD STEM Ambassadors, Kim Alvin de Lara and Brianne Loya along with TIES STEM Ecosystem Director - Jenny Frank, and SciTech's Executive Director - Jeremy Babendure as they discuss the role of the Deparment of Defence in STEM Learning Opportunities. At Arizona Rural STEM Summit, our mission is to provide education and resources to support mental health and wellness in our community.
Ashley Marquez
DoD STEM Ambassadors and DCEC Partners
DoD STEM Ambassadors and DCEC Partners
STEM Unplugged: Igniting Curiosity Through Hands-On & Minds-On Learning
Learn how to foster creativity, inquiry, and critical thinking by leveraging informal learning environments, from nature walks to maker spaces.
Cindy Schluckebier
DoD STEM Ambassadors and DCEC Partners
Cindy Schluckebier
Super-Charged Career Self-Efficacy: Develop Students' Transferable Skills
Attendees will engage in interactive experiences to learn about the Agilities, a research-based framework, that provides a common language for students to identify their strengths and interests in the world of work.
Cori Araza
Donna Smith
Donna Smith
Expanding STEM Access: University Outreach to Rural K-12 Communities
We will highlight successful models, including hands-on STEM camps, virtual learning initiatives, school-visit and technology equity programs, long-term research with undergraduate students, and dual-enrollment opportunities specifically for rural communities. Discover wh
Expanding STEM Access: University Outreach to Rural K-12 Communities
We will highlight successful models, including hands-on STEM camps, virtual learning initiatives, school-visit and technology equity programs, long-term research with undergraduate students, and dual-enrollment opportunities specifically for rural communities. Discover what kinds of tangible resources are available for rural schools, libraries, and informal learning modalities.
Donna Smith
Donna Smith
Donna Smith
Educating Students about
In Demand Careers in Optics
The optics industry drives groundbreaking innovations that transform our world and enhance our daily lives—from smartphones and cameras to virtual reality, night vision goggles, solar panels, lasers, and autonomous vehicles. This workshop will explore the demand for technicians, illustra
Educating Students about
In Demand Careers in Optics
The optics industry drives groundbreaking innovations that transform our world and enhance our daily lives—from smartphones and cameras to virtual reality, night vision goggles, solar panels, lasers, and autonomous vehicles. This workshop will explore the demand for technicians, illustrate how teaching optics benefits students, and offer strategies to prepare students for high-tech careers in this dynamic field.
Max Cawley
Donna Smith
Max Cawley
Unincorporated in STEM: Navigating Political Disenfranchisement in Rural STEM Education
This session will share common vocabulary and engagement supports for interacting with populations outside of politically-designated places - ranging from how to understand consensus in places without local elections or representation, to how to name, r
Unincorporated in STEM: Navigating Political Disenfranchisement in Rural STEM Education
This session will share common vocabulary and engagement supports for interacting with populations outside of politically-designated places - ranging from how to understand consensus in places without local elections or representation, to how to name, refer to, and understand the composition of a place whose geographic boundaries may vary from person to person. From the perspective of one engagement professional who is a frequent recognized outsider, visitor, and out-group learner in small places, and a longtime museum director and STEM educator in a small place.
A Peak into the SumMit - Sample of day 2
Annette Koweek
Jenny Frank-Conklin
Annette Koweek
Fishing for a Fortune of Scientific Literacy! Experience Sensemaking Tools to Help Build Understanding of Phenomena
Put on your learner hat and experience a treasure of connected sensemaking strategies for helping learners move from their initial ideas to a shared understanding of a scientific concept.
Lisa Lewis
Jenny Frank-Conklin
Annette Koweek
Creating STEM Connections in the Maker Space World
Maker Spaces are cultivating the next generation of STEM innovators. Whether dedicated spaces or simple mobile carts, Maker Spaces bring hands-on STEM education to life. Discover how partnering with your local libraries can elevate informal STEM programming
Jenny Frank-Conklin
Jenny Frank-Conklin
Jenny Frank-Conklin
What are STEM Learning Ecosystems?
Learn about the international movement around SLE, and the tools available to support the development of new SLEs and reengagement of existing SLEs.
Meghan Smart
Loretta Cheeks
Loretta Cheeks
Clear Skies, Bright Minds: Hands-On Air Quality Exploration with PocketLab
Educators will explore how to teach students about air quality using the PocketLab, a versatile and easy-to-use handheld device. Participants will learn how to integrate the PocketLab into science lessons, enabling students to collect real-time data on environmental
Clear Skies, Bright Minds: Hands-On Air Quality Exploration with PocketLab
Educators will explore how to teach students about air quality using the PocketLab, a versatile and easy-to-use handheld device. Participants will learn how to integrate the PocketLab into science lessons, enabling students to collect real-time data on environmental factors like air quality, temperature, and particulate matter.
Loretta Cheeks
Loretta Cheeks
Loretta Cheeks
Empowering Rural Arizona Youth Through Design Thinking: A STEAM Activation Lab
Learn how the STEAM Activation Lab leverages Design Thinking to address unique challenges faced by rural Arizona communities. This hands-on presentation will introduce participants through the Design Thinking process, demonstrating how it can be applied to solve local issues while fostering STEAM skills.
Matt Cass
Loretta Cheeks
Matt Cass
The Impact of Place-Based Education on Rural STEM Identity
We will discuss the impact of both short (1 week or less) and long term place-based education activities on how a learner views themselves as a STEM-type person.
Join Arizona Rural STEM Summit in Making a Difference
Arizona Rural STEM Summit - Empowering Communities
STEM learning in rural communities shares many characteristics across vast geographies, yet it is also distinctly unique to each place. The National Rural STEM Learning Summit brings together STEM educators, administrators, STEM industry professionals, and community leaders to strengthen and elevate the quality of STEM education in rural communities through practice and dialogue.
First launched in August 2023 in Flagstaff, Arizona, the Summit drew STEM educators from K-12 and higher education, STEM-industry leaders, research institutes, science centers and museums, community organizations, and other nonprofits to learn from STEM education experts on current methodologies and best teaching practices, participate in hands-on workshops, and to share resources and expand their professional networks. This special event helped to explore the unique challenges and opportunities of STEM education in rural communities and provide practical, workable resources and solutions for participants.
