The Texas Education Agency and the national nonprofit organization Learning Undefeated announced they will debut eight new mobile STEM labs next year.
Learning Undefeated has STEM education programs in 12 states. The nonprofit started in Maryland but expanded to Texas after Hurricane Harvey. The nonprofit loaned unused mobile labs to schools affected by Harvey, and that’s when they decided to expand the program across the country.
“The more people we can engage in STEM careers, the more innovative we will be,” said Jennifer Colvin, chief innovation officer at Learning Undefeated.
Currently, Texas has one mobile STEM lab that travels around the state to conduct STEM-based experiments in classrooms.
The lab is a 50-foot-long trailer with 600 square feet of classroom space inside. Built with a chemistry lab-resistant surface and an 8-inch screen on the wall that acts as an Android tablet.
“Rather than teaching technology separately, there are different ways to engage with students and utilize integrated technology, which is a lot of fun,” Colvin said.
The lab has been part of a pilot program for the past four years in partnership with the Texas Education Agency. TEA recently announced a $7 million grant to Learning Undefeated to help build eight additional mobile STEM labs.
Two of the eight labs are expected to be operational in March 2025. The remaining six will be able to visit schools starting next fall.
“We plan to have three programs in place by the end of this school year and by the summer. All nine remaining labs are scheduled to be built in time for the next 2025-26 school year.” Colvin said.
The lab will serve as a mini-hub within the state, serving the region and visiting as many schools as possible in each region.
“Our team doesn’t have an office to go to. They don’t have a parking lot that they always come back to. So our lab is 100% deployed on the street, and our team We have been working since then,” Colvin said.
We have one lab dedicated to the San Antonio area. Each lab will observe an average of 30 schools in a given grade.
“My goal is to first serve marginalized communities, communities that may be underrepresented in STEM careers,” Colvin said.
When labs visit schools, they stay for a week at a time. During the week, instructors work with teachers to incorporate STEM learning into their lessons.
“They are working with teachers to create models of STEM activities that they hope teachers will start implementing in their classrooms,” Colvin said.
Lab instructors guide students through engineering design challenges and allow students to build and test products.
“Ninety-seven percent of teachers said their experience met or exceeded their expectations,” Colvin said.
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year Mobile STEM Lab will not be accepted until April 2025. The STEM Lab visits classrooms from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Once applications open, you can apply here.
Teachers can click here to receive notifications about STEM labs.
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