Soi Chong Powell, science teacher and robotics coach at Evansville Day School, has been selected as a 2016 International STEM Fellow. She will be traveling to Hangzhou, China in October with eleven other Indiana STEM Fellows who were selected last spring. This is the second cohort of STEM Fellows. This statewide program was created cooperatively between the Chinese Education Connection and the Indiana Department of Education. Jill Woerner, Global Learning and World Language Specialist from the Indiana Department of Education, will lead the trip. They will be joined in China by college representatives and local school superintendents.

Educators were selected for their excellence in the STEM fields. During their travel, they will present lessons in several selected Chinese schools, observe STEM classes, and conduct presentations at an International STEM Conference in Hangzhou. This conference is being sponsored the Zhejiang Department of Education in cooperation with the Chinese Education Connection. Educators from across China will be in attendance.

When asked about her reaction to being named a STEM Fellow, Soi said, “I am thrilled to be a member of the second cohort of the International STEM Fellows. I am so looking forward to our trip to China where we will get to observe science classes being taught. The opportunity to share the American philosophy of teaching with our counterparts in China is a wonderful opportunity for educators to collaborate and implement the newest and best methods for igniting the love of learning in all of our students.”

Ms. Powell continued, “The teaching of STEM content is vital to the future of the human race and our planet. The youth of today will need to address many problems on a global level such as world hunger, global warming and the availability of clean water. Only by having a thorough understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) will our future citizens be able to solve those problems.”

In conclusion, Soi said, “I am hoping that the International STEM Fellowship with its travel to China will help our community make some long-term connections and friendships that will benefit students both here in Indiana as well as in China.”

Day School is committed to fostering a school community that values innovative teaching practices. We are thrilled to support Soi in this endeavor and eager to see what she will learn from this opportunity.