Building Omaha’s Future Leaders
September 2020
A STEM Professional You Should Know
The Omaha STEM Ecosystem’s mission is building a stronger STEM community by connecting education and business development for tomorrow’s workforce. Over the years our newsletters have featured STEM professionals that we felt were playing an active role in transforming Omaha into a center of STEM excellence and innovation. This month, we’d like to feature Jack Cenovick, a high school student at Brownell Talbot. Jack has been a volunteer with Prairie STEM virtual 
programs. Below is a statement submitted by Alan Wang, Executive Director, that highlights Jack’s commitment to STEM excellence and innovation.
“In light of all the challenges of daily life and struggles in our respective worlds, I wanted to share the example of an amazing, young man who happens to volunteer with our Virtual STEAM program and Community Innovation Challenges. He (and his sister) have been working tirelessly on helping package STEM-kits to be distributed to under-served populations of OPS students (Kennedy/Springlake Elementary) to supplement and enrich their remote learning. He is also a leader among his peers in creating the student version of Prairie STEM at Brownell Talbot (JuSTEMagine). I’m humbled by his commitment to serve. To show our appreciation, we are now trying to help them promote their student-led project to deal with inequities in education, specifically internet connectivity for all. If possible, share the following with your networks (high schools or community organizations) who are looking for more engagement from their students during this distanced world of education.”
For more information on Jack’s project – juSTEMagine Virtual Challenge, go to https://findinggenius.com/justemagine/2020
Omaha’s New Riverfront Science Museum
A new jewel is coming to Omaha’s riverfront. Ground will be broken this fall for a privately 
funded $101 million science museum that backers hope will rank among the nation’s best.
“We believe this innovative community space will have a powerful and lasting influence on fueling our city’s workforce development,” said Bruce Grewcock, chairman of Omaha’s Kiewit construction company.
The new STEM-Inspired Science Center is planned for The RiverFront at Lewis & Clark landing.
Read more HERE
OSE Self Assessment Tool Now Released
The purpose of the Omaha STEM Ecosystem’s Best Practices Program Self-Assessment Tool is to provide STEM programs a tool to determine if they are providing a high-quality program. Find the tool in the OSE Document Library on our website here
Welcoming Joy Doll
The Omaha STEM Ecosystem is pleased to announce Joy Doll, with NE HealthCare Collaborative/NEHII, to the Founders Advisory Board and Executive Committee. Joy serves as the Chief Academic Program Officer, Nebraska Healthcare Collaborative and Vice President, Academic Programs, NEHII Shared Services. We welcome Joy and look forward to working with her and NE Healthcare Collaborative over the next three years.
Virtual Roundtable Series
Don’t forget to register for the September 23rd Roundtable Discussion. The breakout session topics reflect the survey from the June 23rd Roundtable. This is a great opportunity to have a deeper conversation around issues important to you. We are also excited that Rachel Jacobson, President of Heritage Services will be opening the third Roundtable Discussions, on October 20th. Heritage Services recently announced the new STEM Center project on the riverfront. The proposed science center will be a learning and entertainment attraction with a focus on STEM-inspired activities.
Register for both September and October Roundtables here
Read More About Other Events And Resources
Upcoming Events: STEM Teacher Prep Webinar September 15th! Flyer Here
Check out all the Resources for Parents, Students and Educators by clicking this link!
Roundtable Discussion, June 23rd recorded session HERE
Now featuring resources from Do Space, SciStarter and Beyond School Bells!
Stay tuned for our October Newsletter!
We want you to be a part of the conversation about how to find solutions for addressing the shortfall of STEM professionals in the Omaha community. To collaborate with innovators, educators, researchers and leaders of tomorrow, join the Omaha STEM Ecosystem today at https://omahastem.com/get-involved/.
