The STEM East Science Teacher Design Institute is a collaborative planning experience that brings together a select group of K-12 science educators from across eastern North Carolina to help shape the future of science teaching, learning, and professional engagement throughout the region. Grounded in the belief that meaningful science instruction is strengthened when students explore authentic phenomena and real-world problems, the institute examines how regional industries can serve as powerful contexts for learning without diminishing the central importance of standards-based science instruction. Participants will explore the intersection of North Carolina Science Standards, inquiry-based learning, student engagement, and the economic and scientific opportunities that exist throughout eastern North Carolina.

Through interactive discussions and collaborative design activities, teachers will investigate STEM East’s Industry in Schools framework and its eight regional industry clusters as potential contexts for exploring scientific concepts, practices, and problem-solving. Emphasis will be placed on helping students make sense of the world around them through authentic scientific exploration rather than treating career awareness as a separate instructional goal.

As co-designers, participants will work together to develop recommendations for a sustainable regional science teacher engagement model. The resulting framework will help guide future professional learning opportunities, teacher collaboration, industry-connected experiences, instructional resources, and leadership pathways that strengthen science teaching and increase student engagement across eastern North Carolina.

The institute seeks to establish the foundation for a vibrant regional community of science educators committed to improving science instruction, fostering student curiosity, and helping students understand the role science plays in addressing real challenges and opportunities within their communities and beyond.

STEM East: Science Teacher Design Institute