2022 STEM Ambassadors Program

The Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) is a collaborative partnership between academia, industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government that aims to broaden STEM literacy and develop a diverse and agile workforce with the technical excellence to defend our Nation. By addressing and prioritizing critical STEM challenges, the Department of Defense (DoD) is investing in evidence-based approaches to inspire and develop the Nation’s science and technology workforce. Educators who are recognized with the DoD STEM Ambassador award will partner with DSEC to advance STEM outreach throughout the 2022-2023 school year. As members of this prestigious cohort, DoD STEM Ambassadors will collaborate to create and curate resources to support STEM educators across the nation in implementing high-quality STEM learning for all students. The DoD STEM Ambassador program is managed and facilitated by TGR Foundation: A Tiger Woods Charity.

Target Population

DOD STEM Ambassadors are expected to work with students who are underrepresented in STEM and/or military-connected as defined by the DoD STEM Strategic Plan:

• Military-connected, which may include:
  • Military children – dependents of members of the Active Duty Armed Forces.
  • Military-connected – military children plus the dependents of members of the National Guard and Reserves.
• Low-income (those whose family’s taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level; those who qualify for free and reduced-price meals [FARM] programs).
• Racial and ethnic minorities that are historically underrepresented in STEM (i.e., Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, Black or African Americans, Latinx/Hispanic Americans, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders).
• Individuals with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Individuals with English as a second language (ESL) or English language learners (ELLs).
• First-generation college students.
• Students in rural, frontier, or other federally targeted schools, such as Title I schools.
• Females in STEM fields where they remain underrepresented (physical science, computer science, mathematics, and engineering).

Selection

Applications will be considered by the following criteria:

• Must be currently employed to work directly with students in K-16 settings (e.g., teachers, counselors).
• Demonstrate a history of outstanding commitment to the DSEC fundamentals, particularly for working with students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM and/or are military-connected.
• Demonstrate creativity and ingenuity to engage students in remote and virtual formats as circumstances may require.
• Demonstrate the skills and desire to represent DoD STEM and their partner through the creation of responsive resources and through platforms aimed at engaging educators in DoD STEM opportunities.

DoD STEM Ambassadors will engage in the following scope of work with an emphasis on the domains listed below as prioritized by the Federal STEM Strategic Plan:

• Transdisciplinary learning in STEM;
• Computational literacy, including data science and cyber education;
• Work-based learning experiences with industry;
• Mathematics; and
• STEM ecosystems.

Throughout the program year (September 2022 – August 2023), the DoD STEM Ambassadors will:

• Create and curate materials such as lesson plans, learning activities, and creative engagement approaches to be shared with educators.
• Guest author blog posts to be featured on the DoD STEM website.
• Support at least one presentation at national, state, and/or local conferences to share DoD STEM resources (may or may-not be DSEC-sponsored events).
• Meet monthly (virtually) as a community of practice to network, learn from each other, and engage in professional learning opportunities addressing the domains listed above.

Deadline to apply is Friday, June 20