Join the UT K12 STEM Collaborative

The UT K12 STEM Collaborative fosters collaborations and information and resource sharing across STEM outreach and education programs led by faculty and staff in departments, programs, and groups across UT Austin. The Collaborative engages the PreK-12 community in meaningful educational experiences that have a profound impact, empowering participants to pursue STEM education at the primary, secondary and university levels. It also builds partnerships with industry and the community to provide Texas students with STEM opportunities that address issues of disparity and diversity in STEM fields and the growing need for STEM professionals.

The group meets 3 times each academic year at the end of each fall, spring, and summer semester, either virtually or in person. Meeting topics vary based on current issues of interest or upcoming events. Membership is limited to UT Austin faculty and staff.

Join here or email stemstarts@utexas.edu for more information.

Resources for Collaborative Members

  • Semesterly Meetings: The collaborative meets at the end of each semester (3 times per year). Agendas typically include a focused topic of interest with a guest speaker or presentation plus open sharing and discussion.
  • UT K12 STEM Collaborative Listserv (UTList): This list allows members to connect, question, share, etc. It’s a UTList so if you don’t want to be on it, unsubscribe. If you don’t like the frequency, adjust your digest settings. And if you know others who should be on it, you can invite them! Most importantly, you can use it to share, question, connect, and invite UT collaborators. The list email address is ut-k12-stem-collaborative@utlists.utexas.edu and it’s set up with “reply to sender” so we don’t spam the group with unnecessary emails. It’s not moderated, so please limit posts to relevant K12 STEM topics/opportunities/issues/etc. 
  • UT Box Shared Folder: UT Box is where we have the directory of all organizations or programs, meeting notes, and other collaborative static resources.
  • Slack Workspace: Collaborative members’ communication space for sharing upcoming events, conferences, and recent publications, as well as for asking questions and receiving feedback.
  • Brown Bags and Tours: Collaborative members are welcome to host brown bag breakfasts/luncheons to address topics of interest or resource sharing; Collaborative members may also host tours to introduce others to their spaces, resources, programs and more. These are scheduled at the host’s convenience.
  • STEM Starts: With support from Microsoft, the Collaborative created an online database and website for all UT Austin programs to create a profile, share events, and connect with not only K-12 teachers, families and districts but also other faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students.


Collaborative History

The UT K12 STEM Collaborative was launched in October 2013 with a brainstorming meeting of K12 STEM program leaders and enthusiasts across the UT Austin Camps. Co–founded and co–led by Rosalia Gomez with the Texas Advanced Computing Center and Tricia Berry with Women in STEM, the UT K12 STEM Collaborative has grown to a network of over 70 programs, groups, and departments across campus. In 2022, the UT K12 STEM Collaborative launched a shared leadership model with new co–chairs taking the reigns for rotating 2–year terms.