Published 3 min read
By Ed Brennen
Topics: Academic Research Faculty & Staff
Two men wearing black witches hats stand next to a piece of paper taped to a window. Image by Ed Brennen

Mechanical Engineering Professor Juan Pablo Trelles, left, and Baseball Research Center Assistant Director Patrick Drane wear witches hats while taking part in a "Colored Hat Thinking" workshop during the inaugural STELAR Conference, held recently at Saab ETIC.


Faculty, staff and graduate students from across 51视频 came together for the inaugural STEM Teaching, Educator Learning and Research (STELAR) Conference, an afternoon devoted to sharing innovative approaches to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Held at the Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC), the conference brought together more than 75 representatives from the听Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences,听Kennedy College of Sciences,听Francis College of Engineering听and the听College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.听听

A man in glasses smiles while a woman drops water into a vial while seated at a table. Image by Ed Brennen

School of Education Associate Professor and Chair Hsien-Yuan Hsu, right, reacts as a colleague tests a Merrimack River water sample during the STELAR Conference.

Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor听Yanfen Li听said the goal of the conference was to build a community of STEM educators at the university 鈥� while laying the groundwork for a new interdisciplinary center.

鈥淓veryone is doing amazing things, but often in silos. STELAR is about connecting those efforts and seeing what we can do together,鈥� said Li, who co-organized the conference with Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor听David Willis听and Associate Clinical Professor听Sumudu Lewis, director of the听UTeach听program.听

Designed to feel more like a fun social gathering, the conference replaced traditional lectures with interactive sessions, gamified challenges and team-building activities. The afternoon opened with a design-thinking exercise led by听Rist DifferenceMaker听Fellow听David Vatalaro.

Lightning-style, interactive presentations showcased creative teaching and research innovations. Among them: Assistant Teaching Professor听Kari White听shared how the redesigned Statics course improved student engagement through flipped learning and peer support; Teaching Professor听Adam St. Jean听led an 鈥淎mino Acid Speed Dating鈥� activity to teach protein interactions; Assistant Teaching Professor听Katie King听demonstrated 鈥淣umber Talks鈥� for making sense of math; and Tsongas Industrial History Center Director听Paul Kuttner听used the Merrimack River as a classroom in a hands-on water testing program.

A woman wearing a bright green paper crown talks to three other people wearing the same crowns at a table. Image by Ed Brennen

College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Sue Kim, left, participates in a "Colored Hat Thinking" activity to envision a future STELAR Center on campus.

King, who is from the School of Education, said she joined because she wanted to help bridge teaching and research across disciplines.听

鈥淎s a former high school math teacher, I鈥檓 always excited to hear how my colleagues in science and engineering are making their subjects more engaging,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have so much to learn from one another, and this conference was a perfect opportunity to start those conversations.鈥�

A 鈥淐olored Hat Thinking鈥� workshop invited participants to envision the structure and mission of a future STELAR center, but from the prescribed perspective of six thinking types: analytical, emotional, skeptical, optimistic, structured and creative. Ideas included organizing an International Women in STEM Day and expanding K-12 partnerships.

A man holds a tinker toy while seated at a table with other people. Image by Ed Brennen

Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Noah Van Dam takes part in a design-thinking exercise to kickoff the STELAR Conference.

鈥淐oming from an education background, I鈥檓 interested in connecting the university with the outside community,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淲e want schools, families and teachers to see what鈥檚 happening here and be part of it.鈥�

Later sessions extended the conversation to sustainability, ethics and artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and research.听Noah Van Dam, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, shared methods for integrating ethics into engineering courses;听Gabriel Salierno, a chemist at the Toxic Use Reduction Institute, explored green chemistry across the curriculum; and Ph.D. student Negin Motlagh presented data on changing soft-skill trends in computer science careers.

A poster session showcased ongoing research and outreach projects, from听summer research experiences听for high school students to doctoral education in the AI era and women鈥檚 access to higher education in Gateway Cities.

A woman gesures with her hands while talking to three people while standing in front of a research poster. Image by Ed Brennen

Chemical Engineering doctoral student Haenah Kim, left, shares her poster on the PROPEL Careers Program during the STELAR Conference.

Throughout the day, attendees earned collectible pins for participating in sessions, a gamification strategy that underscored the conference鈥檚 focus on motivation and engagement.

Willis, who is on sabbatical at Tufts University鈥檚 Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, said he hopes the energy and collaboration sparked at STELAR will lead to a permanent UML center supporting STEM pedagogy, research and outreach.听

鈥淏y showing up today, you鈥檙e the start of this community,鈥� he told attendees. 鈥淭ogether, we can build something that connects all our efforts and helps our students 鈥� and each other 鈥� succeed.鈥�