NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — On Wednesday, the City of Newport News announced that they have partnered with the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), as well as businesses and community organizations, to launch the Coastal Virginia (COVA) STEM HUB.
The HUB, part of the STEM Learning Ecosystem, is an innovative program that aims to increase young people’s engagement and sense of belonging within the STEM field.
“Newport News is proud to lead this important STEM initiative in the Commonwealth,” said Newport News Mayor McKinley L. Price, DDS. “The Coastal Virginia STEM HUB will ensure residents have access to STEM education and engagement activities, regardless of their age, gender or socioeconomic status. With support from our diverse list of partners, we plan to create a talent pool prepared to tackle the challenges of workplaces of the future.”
COVA STEM HUB will partner with organizations from a variety of fields and industries to reimagine STEM. They are looking for protentional partners including, but not limited to, educational institutions, businesses, nonprofits, museums and libraries.
Potential partners are invited to a virtual informational session on the COVA STEM HUB on June 24 from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Anyone interested can contact Lisa Wornom-Zahralddin at 757-355-2132 or wornom-zahralddinlp@nnva.gov to learn more or get involved.
“I applaud the efforts of the City of Newport News to launch a Regional Hub for STEM, which is a key component in the Final Report of the Virginia STEM Education Commission,” said Chuck English, Virginia STEM Coordinator. “The first partner session that Newport News hosted brought together a wealth of leaders within the community to offer differing perspectives, a sustainable approach and a collaborative mindset. Newport News is well on its way to improving educational STEM literacy, with the goal of enabling youth to see themselves as STEM capable from preschool onward.”
The COVA STEM HUB is following the model created by TIES that is being used in 94 official STEM Ecosystems across the globe.