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Wexner Center joins Ohio State, Columbus City Schools for STEAMM Rising Initiative

Erik Pepple, Director of Marketing Content

Jun 08, 2023

A line of seven people walk through a gallery space. A sculpture made of tiered rebars is in the foreground.

The Wexner Center has long been deeply engaged with the Columbus City Schools system. Whether through tours, in-class experiences, or field trips to the center, students have been central to the work of our Learning and Public Practice team, and we've felt fortunate to have the opportunity to help enhance their learning experience.

That's why when Ohio State approached the center to partner with the STEAMM Rising initiative, it was a perfect fit. STEAMM Rising is an innovative collaboration between Ohio State, Columbus City Schools, and Columbus State Community College designed to build paths to careers in STEAMM fields (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics and medicine) for current students. 

A group of over a dozen people walks up a narrow ramp.

On June 8, more than 75 educators visited the Wex as part of the STEAMM Rising Summer Institute. This intensive program finds educators from nearly all districts in the Columbus City Schools system heading to Ohio State's campus for several days of hands-on activities and design challenges. Meeting with participants from the Office of Academic Affairs, School of Education and Human Ecology, School of Music, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences Office of Engagement, and the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts, they connect, create, and carry forward new tools and approaches they then bring back to their classrooms to help prepare students for careers in STEAMM fields.

Four women huddle together to work on a paper sculpture.

Sarah Robison, teaching, learning and interpretation manager at the Wex, notes, "Spending the day with these educators, offering a meaningful arts experience designed to expand and share knowledge, is a key part of our work. It's a terrific opportunity to be part of such a great program, and to present the Wex as a resource for teaching and learning."

Current plans are for the STEAMM Rising Initiative to keep growing in the coming years. The Wex is excited to continue on this journey.

 

Photos: Terry Gilliam

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