K-12 STEM Outreach Community

Community Mission

The K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Outreach Community of Interest’s mission is to promote and support pathways to STEM degrees and STEM careers for K-12 students as part of the national strategic effort to produce more STEM professionals for the nation.

Vision

The K-12 STEM Outreach Committee provides for the security of the nation by ensuring a robust STEM workforce.

Scope

K-12 students need to be exposed to STEM activities, degrees, and careers as they move up the academic ladder. The committee will work with the network of Posts, individual members, sustaining members, service branches, and strategic partners to increase opportunities for STEM exposure for K-12 students. The COI will also promote the Society’s STEM programming at local, regional, and national events, as resources allow.

Activities

• Categorize different examples of how the Post/individuals support K-12 STEM at the local level
• Identify and provide guest speakers/webinars on relevant topics
• Serve as a clearinghouse of STEM information
• Provide a calendar of STEM (SAME/Post and external) events and points of contacts

To learn more about the K-12 STEM Outreach Community of interest, contact a member of the Steering Committee, or reach out to Amy McGeever, STEM Coordinator.

Community Chair

Victoria Hernandez
Program Manager, AFCEC

Immediate Past Community Chair

Joshua Graham, P.E., PMP, F.SAME
Project Manager, HDR

View Joshua’s leadership profile.

Upcoming National Webinars

• 
  April 15, 2026

  Webinar

  Solving Complex CVOC Problems with ISTR– Field Proven Approaches

  This webinar will first discuss the unique aspects of performance-based designs when considering procurement of thermal remediation services. Next, we will discuss how to evaluate criteria when selecting performance objectives, i.e., “ how do you define success?”
• 
  April 16, 2026

  Webinar

  The National Spatial Reference System: Modernizing Our Geodetic Foundation for the Future

  The National Geodetic Survey (NGS), within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is in the process of making the critical transition from the current National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) to the upcoming, modernized (2022) system.
• 
  May 14, 2026

  Webinar

  CMMC Level 2: What A/E Firms Must Know Before November

  Starting November 10, 2026, the Department of Defense will require CMMC Level 2 certification for contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Unlike prior self-attestation requirements, this mandate requires verification by an accredited third-party assessor before a firm can be awarded or retain applicable DoD contracts.

Related TME Articles – K-12 STEM Outreach

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  Collaborating with Alaskan Tribes on Cleaning Up Formerly Used Defense Sites

  January 26, 2023

  A collaborative program with Alaskan Native communities being led by a research team from the University of Nevada, Reno, is tracking and mitigating impacts from exposure to Formerly Used Defense Sites.
• 

  Conducting Thermal Remediation Under Active Railroad Tracks

  January 26, 2023

  As part of the cleanup at a Superfund site that was previously used as waste storage by the Department of Defense, a carefully orchestrated thermal remediation project was conducted that targeted the groundwater plume located underneath a pair of active railroad tracks.
• 

  Extracting and Purifying Rare Earth Elements from Waste

  January 26, 2023

  A project underway to develop proteins capable of extracting rare earth elements used in critical defense systems from manufacturing and post-consumer waste aims to secure this vulnerable supply chain and increase national resilience.
• 

  Composting Bioplastic Waste in Expeditionary Environments

  January 26, 2023

  A research team at the U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory studied the compostability of bioplastics under expeditionary conditions in order to help reduce plastic waste and support policy targets for source reduction and diversion.