NASHVILLE – Seven local educators are among the 22 educators across Tennessee selected to participate in the first cohort of the Manufacturing and Engineering Externship Program (MEEP) with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. Sponsored by a grant from the Office of Naval Research, MEEP seeks to prepare a future-ready workforce in the manufacturing and engineering sectors by engaging K-12 Tennessee educators in summer externships with local companies in these industries. Each externship experience will last three to five days in the month of June.
In addition to exploring the workplace, educators will receive targeted professional development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional strategies.
“Connecting teachers to the opportunities available in STEM fields and the skills necessary for on-the-job success is a crucial step for preparing tomorrow’s workforce,” said Wes Hall, Executive Director of the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. “Through their externship, teachers will engage in work-based learning experiences and translate those opportunities into hands-on lessons for their students.”
Participants were competitively selected through an application process and TSIN plans to expand the program in 2020.
The Tennessee STEM Innovation Network is a public-private partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and Battelle Education, emphasizing a “kindergarten through jobs” philosophy by promoting the teaching and learning of STEM education and integrating real-world and hands-on learning in K-12 public schools across Tennessee. Visit: www.TSIN.org
| Educators | Externship Location |
| Amanda Vaughn, Defeated Elementary School, Smith County, TN | Flowserve – Cookeville, TN Flowserve manufactures and services fluid motion control solutions for the world’s toughest, most critical applications. |
| Allison Ledford & Kattie Nash, Prescott South Elementary, Cookeville, TN Anthony Geist, Gordonsville High School, Gordonsville, TN | Research Electronics International – Cookeville, TN REI manufactures electronic interference detection equipment hand-crafted in the United States for technical security applications. REI’s equipment detects electronic eavesdropping and illicit surveillance devices to protect organizations from information theft. |
| Christi Root – Monterey High School, Monterey, TN | Oak Ridge National Lab – Oak Ridge, TN Oak Ridge National Lab is a leading research institution with expertise in advanced materials, supercomputing, neutrons, and nuclear science to national priorities in energy, security, and scientific discovery |
| Louann Maxwell & Stuart Neal – Pickett County High School, Byrdstown, TN | Cummins Filtration – Cookeville, TN Cummins Filtration is a global power leader that designs, manufactures and sells air, fuel, hydraulic and lube filtration, as well as chemical technology products for diesel and gas-powered equipment around the world. |
