By Mike Greife,
March 22, 2017
WARRENSBURG, MO – The University of Central Missouri Department of Career and Technology
Education and the School of Technology will host the Seventh Grade Girls STEAM Event
for western Missouri March 30 on the UCM campus in Warrensburg.
More than 500 seventh grade girls from western Missouri will attend the event, which
offers experiences related to preparation for careers in science, technology, engineering,
art and mathematics. Girls will engage in hands-on activities in STEAM areas, designed
and facilitated by instructors from UCM and more than 30 business and industry representatives
and leaders.
The STEAM event at UCM is one of two planned for Missouri. The event for students
from the eastern portion of Missouri was March 15 at Washington University in St.
Louis.
Keynote speaker for the STEAM Event at UCM will be Melissa Tebbenkamp, director of
instructional technology for Raytown Quality Schools, Raytown, Mo. Since joining Raytown
Quality Schools in 2006, Tebbenkamp has become one of the first 46 professionals in
the nation and one of only three in Missouri certified as an education technology
leader by the Consortium for School Networking. She serves on the CoSN national board
of directors and was founding member and past chair of CoSN’s state chapter, the Missouri
Education Technology Leaders Board. She also served as moderator and creator of Missouri’s
Educational Technology Professional Learning Community.
Tebbenkamp received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and master’s degree
in educational technology in from UCM.
"We at the University of Central Missouri are very fortunate to host the 2017 STEAM
Conference for 7th Grade Girls. The impact our presenters, our middle school teachers
and counselors, our parents/guardians, our DESE partners, and our UCM planners and
staff are having on our seventh grade girls is amazing," said Michael Elliott, UCM
assistant professor of career and technology education. "We know girls can succeed
in STEAM-related academics, and this conference will showcase the opportunities and
different career opportunities in the STEAM fields. Additionally, we at UCM would
like to thank our DESE/Regional College and Career Consultants for this partnership
opportunity."
The STEAM Events are the result of a partnership between Missouri regional college
and career consultantst from across the state, the Missouri Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education, UCM and Washington University. Demand for the STEAM event,
held at Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2016, has doubled, resulting
in the two 2017 events that will be attended by nearly 1,000 girls.
The National Girls Collaborative Project and the STEM Education Coalition validate
the importance of STEAM events for girls. Research indicates that STEAM events engaging
girls between the ages of 10 and 14 influences them to enter a STEAM career field.
