STEM Education & Communication
Welcome to the STEMpire, my little home on the World Wide Web. I'm Alison Earnhart, a lifelong STEM educator and communicator. I use this space partly as a portfolio to showcase my career and side projects, and sometimes to host curricula for classes that I teach. However you found yourself here, I'm happy to e-meet you!
I've spent over a decade designing curriculum and teaching innovative STEM classes for high school and undergraduate levels, and recently delved into the world of project-based learning at the elementary level. I love inspiring students -- whether they go on to become rocket scientists or they simply develop a lifelong appreciation for the STEM subjects. I've also grown to love sharing my best practices with other educators through conferences and workshops. I'm especially fond of project-based engineering and design, and creating & running maker spaces for educational purposes. Teaching engineering is, in effect, teaching critical thinking and practical problem solving skills -- skills that serve students throughout their lives.
I've spent over a decade designing curriculum and teaching innovative STEM classes for high school and undergraduate levels, and recently delved into the world of project-based learning at the elementary level. I love inspiring students -- whether they go on to become rocket scientists or they simply develop a lifelong appreciation for the STEM subjects. I've also grown to love sharing my best practices with other educators through conferences and workshops. I'm especially fond of project-based engineering and design, and creating & running maker spaces for educational purposes. Teaching engineering is, in effect, teaching critical thinking and practical problem solving skills -- skills that serve students throughout their lives.
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
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This quote, usually attributed to Einstein*, is my teaching philosophy in a nutshell. All students can learn, and all students have superpowers. The role of the educator is to encourage students to explore their own talents and learn how to utilize their unique skills and interests such that they can successfully contribute to society and find their own satisfaction in life. I don't expect every one of my students to become career scientists or engineers (although I'm super proud when they do!). I care more about instilling in them a mindset of critical thinking and problem solving, and an appreciation for the STEM subjects.
So, what's the "STEMpire" anyway? First and foremost, it's a corny play on words because as a teacher of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) my top priority is to use lame jokes to annoy my students. But it's also an idea I've developed over time; a way of thinking about my function as a science educator. I'm trying my best to recruit citizens of the STEMpire, as it were. The STEMpire has no physical boundaries, or even a flag or currency. It's a collection of folks who have a deep appreciation for the STEM fields. They care about critical thinking, logical reasoning, and being an informed global citizen. The STEMpire exists wherever progress is being made, where learning is celebrated, and where curiosity leads to new discovery. If you dig these ideas, you're already a citizen of the STEMpire.
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This video from 2012 was a collaboration between my filmmaker brother and me. We hope you enjoy this joint effort to showcase our passions!
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EducatorTeaching science isn't just my job, it's my passion. I've been a classroom teacher for over ten years, teaching physics, astronomy, and project-based engineering & design.
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MusicianAn avid brass musician in the HONK! international scene, I'm active in many groups that promote community engagement, activism, and empowerment through music.
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RebelSTEM education/communication is key to a healthy society. When science is stifled by political or social forces, it's up to us to speak up for reason. Don't be alarmed -- he's a STEMtrooper. He's on our side.
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I have a profile on DonorsChoose.org and it's basically the greatest thing ever. Great classes require great resources, and DonorsChoose.org allows me to provide amazing things for my students. Check it out and find an awesome project to support today!
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"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness." ~ Carl Sagan
*Einstein probably never said that. But whatevs.
*Einstein probably never said that. But whatevs.