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IHD’s KC-BANCS (Kansas City - Building an Alliance for New Careers in S.T.E.M.) is in the November 10 edition of the Kansas City Star! See the Web version at: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/10/3257451/some-employers-want-to-hire-veterans.html. For information about IHD's support for Veterans with Disabilities, see: http://www.kcstemalliance.org. |
National Think Tank focuses on
Veterans with Disabilities and New
Careers in STEM
Transition STEM: A Wounded Warriors Think Tank, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and co-hosted by the UMKC Institute for Human Development and the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering, took place in Kansas City on July 27-28, 2011.
Participants included experts in the fields of higher education policy, disability service and research, veteran research, veteran services, and higher education recruitment and retention, as well as veterans with service-connected disabilities (“wounded warriors”), military personnel, private sector STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) industry representatives, and the National Science Foundation.
Using an innovative approach, the think tank convened national leaders to develop recommendations and action steps that higher education and industry can take to support Wounded Warriors interested in careers in the STEM fields.
“The Research in Disabilities Education program at National Science Foundation was pleased to sponsor this national event," said Dr. Linda Thurston, program director for Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) at NSF's Division of Human Resource Development.
"We are committed to examining issues related to post-secondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics education of veterans with combat-related disabilities. This event, by bringing together stakeholders in STEM education for veterans, is expected to inform the national research agenda within the Foundation and to provide important input for those around the country that are committed to providing quality STEM undergraduate and graduate education for those who have served in this country's armed forces," said Thurston.
Transition STEM was an invitation-only event for leaders representing points of transition in veterans' lives:
• Wounded Warriors and their transition experiences
• STEM industry representatives who value veterans as employees
• Higher education leaders who recruit and support Wounded Warriors in their STEM degrees
• Researchers’ insight into effective supports for Wounded Warriors
• Policy leaders who determine transition protocol to higher education
“Veterans with service-connected disabilities often have field-based accomplishments that should provide a smooth transition into science, technology, engineering, and math-based fields (STEM) and post-military employment,” said Dr. Ronda Jenson, co-Principal Investigator of the NSF-funded parent project, KC-BANCS (Kansas City Building An Alliance for New Careers in STEM). “However, Wounded Warriors and post-secondary education do not uniformly understand how and when to connect the STEM experiences of military experience with a future career. NSF recognized this disconnect and provided funding for ‘Transition STEM: A Wounded Warriors Think Tank’ to identify solutions,” said Jenson.
“Transition STEM provided an opportunity to bring together national leaders to discuss supporting student-veterans with disabilities in STEM post-secondary education, and to problem-solve and plan for improving this transition,” said Alexis Petri, KC-BANCS Project Director. “It capitalized on the strengths of a cross-section of knowledgeable professionals and students to develop specific recommendations to help the STEM fields better support Wounded Warriors in their transition to STEM careers”.
Next steps include developing a comprehensive report for the National Science Foundation outlining specific steps institutions of higher education can take to support Wounded Warriors as they earn degrees in the STEM fields and embark on careers in STEM. Audience-specific materials to promote recognition of the issues/challenges and inspire direct action will also be created and offered to other institutions and the public at large. Media and materials from the event will be available at www.transitionstem.org.
The Mid-America ATTC and ATTC National Office Join IHDThe UMKC Institute for Human Development is pleased to welcome the Mid-America ATTC and the ATTC National Office to our home. The purpose of the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network is to develop and strengthen the workforce which provides addictions treatment and recovery services to those entering the treatment system. The Network consists of 14 Regional Centers and a National Office, and together we take a unified approach in delivering cutting-edge products, services and resources to support a powerful workforce - a workforce that has the potential to transform lives. Mid-America Addiction Technology Transfer Center (Mid-America ATTC) is one of 14 Regional Centers and a National Office which serve the 50 states and U.S. territories. The Mid-America ATTC’s region encompasses five states -- Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Funded in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Mid-America ATTC does its work through National and Regional Initiatives and strives to improve behavioral health treatment outcomes by raising awareness of research-based practices, building the skill capacity of the workforce, and cultivating the systemic changes necessary for successful implementation.In essence, our job is to move academically developed technologies into standard professional practice. Website: www.attcnetwork.org/midamerica |