McNeese Offers STEM Workshops for Louisiana Teachers

The College of Science, Engineering and Math at McNeese State University recently hosted over 40 middle and high school teachers from around the state of Louisiana to introduce engaging ways to incorporate computer science education into their classrooms.

Teachers attended five day workshops at the Calcasieu Parish Technology Training Center as part of McNeese’s partnership with Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting computer science education for K-12 students.

The workshops covered programming, physical computing, data and privacy and algorithms. Educators were also provided with the electronic and print resources they need to incorporate these new activities into their lesson plans.

According to Dr. Catherine Anderson, assistant professor of computer science and the McNeese-Code.org regional partner program manager, McNeese is Louisiana’s only Code.org regional partner.

“Teachers from all over the state are coming to Lake Charles to see how they can bring hands-on approaches to science, technology, engineering and math to the classroom,” she says. “McNeese is providing our educators with the resources and knowledge that will prepare the next generation for careers in computer science.”

She also says these workshops will be offered in different areas in the coming year.

“We are excited to reach more educators as we travel to Baton Rouge, Alexandria and New Orleans,” Anderson says.

Dr. Nikos Kiritsis, executive director of STEM programs at McNeese, says, “Careers in the STEM fields are growing in the region and across the nation, and this partnership highlights McNeese as the first choice for educators who want to bring new ideas to the classroom, and for students interested in pursuing a STEM education.”