Calling All K-12 Teachers to Learn About STEM Forward’s STEM Programming for Your Students!

6th – 8th Grades
Wisconsin Regional Competition in January
Championship in February in Washington D.C.

The Future City Competition is a project-based learning activity that introduces middle school students to project management and the engineering design process. Students will research, plan and build a city that exists 100 years in the future while assessing risk and meeting a schedule. Through the deliverables of the project, students will:

  • Apply math and science concepts to real-world issues.

  • Develop writing, public speaking, problem-solving, teamwork, project management, and time management skills.

  • Learn how their community functions to improve citizenship.

  • Build a scale model using recycled materials.

  • Research and design solutions to engineering challenges.

  • Present and defend their design to a panel of technical judges.

5th – 8th Grades
Competitions in Spring (April and May)

Contrapt Wisconsin is STEM Forward’s engaging middle school contraption competition where we ask students to imagine a solution, build a contraption, and compete with their peers. A contraption accomplishes a simple task in the most complicated, fun way possible. Building one can be challenging, but it allows students to work on skills involving engineering, simple machines, trial and error, project planning, physics, teamwork, and creativity. Our competition will enable students to showcase their skills in front of their peers and our judges and compete for prizes.

Each year, a different theme challenges the students to build a contraption to complete a simple task following the competition rules. Past tasks have included the following: turn the page, hammer the nail, pop the balloon, etc. Students have fun coming up with a creative team name and arriving at the competition in their themed attire. Exposing students to STEM in a fun way leads to endless possibilities for their future careers.

9th – 12th Grades
Competition in March
Championship in April in Minnesota

The Engineering Machine Design Contest is an opportunity for teams of 3-12 high school students to design and build a complex machine using everyday objects with the guidance of a coach. The completed machine will use multiple steps to complete a simple task. Teams showcase and exhibit their machine at a regional contest with the opportunity to advance to the Engineering Machine Design Championship in Minnesota. Teams are scored on a Team Journal, Team Presentation, and Machine Design and Operation. Students use their creativity as then come up with unique (sometimes wacky) ways for their machine to complete the task based on the theme for the year.

K-12 Grades Throughout the School Year

Our Day of STEM program partners a primary or secondary school with a local business to bring a STEM professional into the classroom to expose students to various STEM careers. An individual or a team of employee volunteers is identified, prepped with content to be shared, and sent on a local school visit on a predetermined date. This can also be delivered in a virtual format. In addition to serving as STEM role models, volunteers engage students in discussion and various STEM activities. Whether in a single classroom or multiple classes or during school or in an afterschool program, the students learn firsthand about various STEM careers.

If you are interested in discussing our programs and how to incorporate them into your classroom or afterschool club, please fill out the form below or reach out directly to Theresa Wolf, STEM Forward Program Manager, at twolf@stemforward.org.