Ebony Hood Assumes Leadership of NeoSTEM Ecosystem Northeast Ohio native brings a passion for equity and community to education-focused nonprofit Ebony Hood, a northeast Ohio native, community builder, and thought leader has been selected as the permanent director of the NeoSTEM Ecosystem, a collaboration of dozens of organizations who partner to improve STEM educational opportunities and access for all students. Hood, who previously served as a community relations specialist for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, is also the director of curriculum and strategic planning for Syatt, a non-profit she helped launch in 2009 to promote culturally-relevant learning opportunities for underserved Black and Brown students in Cleveland. Hood replaces Alyssa Lenhoff-Briggs, who had been serving as interim director of the regional collaboration while also helping lead the global STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice (SLECoP). “NeoSTEM needs a leader like Ebony Hood, someone who is dedicated, passionate, and knowledgeable about STEM and the communities we serve,” Lenhoff-Briggs said. “I am so thrilled to be handing NeoSTEM over to her, and know the organization will continue to do great things in our community.” NeoSTEM is one of 94 ecosystems operating as part of the SLECoP. It was one of the first […]

We had a great group with us at this month’s NeoSTEM Ecosystem meeting. We’re just 19 short days away from Score with STEM, and we still need volunteers! With nearly 50 exhibits and more than 1,500 students and families expected to attend, we need all the help we can get to make this a lasting experience for everyone involved. And every volunteer who spends the day with us will get a free ticket to the game! It’s a great opportunity for individuals, families, and organizations to participate in a great event and cheer on the Cavs!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT We Scored with STEM! This was our first year in partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And after months of planning and working with so many in our NeoSTEM family, to say the event was a success is an understatement.  As you all know by now, we brought more than 1,500 students, families, and organizations from all around northeast to the FieldHouse for Score with STEM. We had more than 40 interactive exhibits, from programmable robots to birds of prey to an examination of wearable technology used to help people with spinal cord injuries. The Cavs told us it was the biggest event to come to the FieldHouse this year. Stay tuned for more information on next year’s event, and please let us know if you’d like to participate in planning. In other news: On July 23, the All-American Soap Box Derby is holding its 2022 STEM Fair and hosting more than 400 youths from around the world! For more information, and to register for tickets, click here. On May 14, check out the 21st annual Rock Your World with STEAM Festival, presented by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and sponsored by All-City Arts and the […]

We began this month’s meeting by taking a moment to recognize the many educators who guided us and had positive impacts on our lives. NeoSTEM understands that from Cleveland, to Orange, to Warren, educators shape our lives and our communities. As we close out Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to thank the many educators we’re lucky enough to have in our lives and guide our work.

This month we went live! For the first time in more than 27 months, NeoSTEM partners from all over northeast Ohio - from our old friends at Parker Hannifin and Youth Opportunities Unlimited to our new friends at Hyland Software and the Cleveland Cavaliers - gathered to reflect on where we’ve been and what we’ve been through, and cast an eye toward where we’re headed and what we’ve planned. We talked about I am STEM, STEM in My Neighborhood, Score with STEM, and a whole lot more. And, with our thanks to our pals at the Cavs, we were lucky to do it at the always spectacular Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (with some great snacks).

After the long Fourth of July weekend, we gathered online for a great discussion about the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice’s convening in Michigan. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the convening (featuring our very own Ebony Hood) gave STEM thought leaders from across the country the opportunity to show off their great regional work, and to brainstorm about the future of STEM education in the U.S. We also chatted about our upcoming WIR’ED cohort and the many opportunities programs like it provide for students and business owners alike. Check it out!

This August we took a detour. Instead of our regular run of things, this month we decided to dive into a topic that most people think about, but that few people are comfortable discussing - race and racism. Yes it was awkward. Yes it was more than a little bit strained at times. But, just like the topic itself, the discussion was real. We turned the camera off for that part because we wanted our attendees to speak freely, so there’s nothing to see. But it’s something we all need to think about more. Improving STEM education in BIPOC populations throughout northeast Ohio is a core tenant of NeoSTEM’s work, and we always welcome the discussion. So give us a call if you want to talk.

Who doesn’t love a bit of arcane trivia about the history of a national holiday? Check out our September meeting for the long, dry history of Labor Day no one asked for. But get through that bit, and you’ll be rewarded with a great story from our own Ebony Hood about her experience as a worker at General Electric, and how it shaped her thoughts on how to better harness local talent and guide it into northeast Ohio’s workforce pipeline today. (spoiler alert: it’s through community colleges and industry partnerships)

This month we met in person at the Verizon Community Forward Union-Miles Learning Center in Cleveland's Earle B. Turner Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Center. Welcomed by our dear friend and center director Feowyn Mackinnon, the Verizon Community Forward Learning Center offers free technology-focused training to Cleveland residents for lifelong STEM learning, industry-specific job development and small business growth. The Union Miles Learning Center is one of two opening in 2022 as part of Verizon Community Forward, an initiative of Citizen Verizon, Verizon’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement.

In our November virtual meeting, we welcomed Kate Klonowski to discuss the STEM PUSH Network. Kate is the coordinator for both the Provost Scholars Program and the North Star Vaccination Initiative, and acts as staff advisory council representative at Case Western Reserve University. STEM PUSH is forming the first national network of pre-college STEM programs. These programs are connected into STEM pathways within regional communities through STEM Ecosystems. We also welcomed Ilene Frankel, executive director of the Young Entrepreneur Institute at University School. YEI was founded by Greg Malkin in 2005, and launched its initial work at US in 2006. YEI believes every student should experience entrepreneurship through hands-on, real world experiences. YEI operates on a collaborative model; it teaches students directly, and also engages its network of educators and entrepreneurship organizations.

This week, we gathered with our friends one last time in 2022 at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium for good conversation, good food, and a bit of fun. We had a bottled water taste test and yes, it (sorta) turns out you can (sorta) tell the difference between spring water and tap water and all of the artisanal options out there. Sorta. But it was a fun experiment that saw three winners walk away with gift bags provided by Ramses Clements at the Cleveland Water Department, which we all know brings us the best water. We met with old friends from MyCom and Youth Opportunities Unlimited, and new friends from Avery Dennison and ESC of the Western Reserve. And we got a much-too-short tour from Matt Debelak of the great things the aquarium offers. As we look to 2023, we’re excited to see these meetings grow into fun opportunities to network, share ideas, and work together to improve education opportunity in our communities. We’ve got a great lineup set for next year, and we look forward to seeing more and more gather with us. We can’t wait to see you in 2023.