From the Director's Desk
Hello! I hope this finds you well and enjoying the change of seasons as we dive into fall.

School is back in session across the region and today we welcomed students to their first day of classes at LBCC. Things may look a bit different this year but the energy and excitement are palpable, even in the rain, as everyone hustles to find classrooms and get the year off to a great start. 

We at the Hub are open for business and look forward to supporting all of you in your schools, classrooms, programs, and places of business with a wide variety of opportunities for STEM and CTE enrichment across the region. 

I’d like to share some great STEM and CTE resources and opportunities coming your way:

  • Our statewide Rural Learning Collaborative for K-8 STEAM educators and administrators - connect, learn, explore! PDU’s are available; learn more here 
  • We’re also looking for rural STEAM educators and administrators to participate in the Rural STEAM Leadership Network for a series of four daylong institutes for our region; stipends and sub pay are available; learn more here
  • We’re hiring! Please share this position posting for a full-time Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Manager with your colleagues and networks. Closes 10/15
  • New to our work? Want to learn more about the Hub or introduce us to a colleague? Check out this 3:29 video...and please share!

We wish you all a fantastic start to the school year. Like the yard sign pictured proclaims, we thank you for supporting our students and we’re here to support you in that work.

Thanks and be well,

Sarah Whiteside, Director
Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub
New promotional video & annual report
We want to show you what we’ve been up to this last year!

We’ve been quite busy with:
  • COVID-19 response: Funding community and educator initiatives through 3 rounds of microgrants;
  • Facilitating STEM summer camps
  • Hosting a virtual STEM Week conference!

Check out the video above for a quick look at what we've been up to. If you want a more in-depth look at our past year, please check out our Annual Report.
October is Manufacturing Month
Annually, the first Friday (October 1, 2021) in October is National Manufacturing Day.
Manufacturing Month is a great way to introduce students to the wide selection of occupations that make up modern manufacturing. In addition to production technicians and engineering, this is a great opportunity to talk to students about the critical support roles in logistics, purchasing, accounting, information technology, and more that are needed in the manufacturing industry.

Careers in the manufacturing industry make up a large portion of well-paying jobs in Linn and Benton Counties. When looking at statistics from 2019, more than 200,000 Oregon residents were employed by a manufacturing business. These jobs were primarily manufacturing computer/electronic products, food/beverage/tobacco products, wood/paper products, metal products, and chemical products. The average annual compensation for employees in these jobs is approximately $80,000. Many of these positions are jobs that can be obtained with apprenticeships, 1-year certificates, and 2-year degrees.

Want to know more about manufacturing in the Linn and Benton County area?
  • Visit Linn-Benton Community College’s Applied Industrial Technology page to learn more about degree and certificate programs for helping you get the practical training you need for a rewarding career in advanced manufacturing.
  • Check out our library of videos featuring advanced manufacturing educational paths at Linn-Benton Community College.
  • Check out our Trades Notebook to learn more about career and educational opportunities in advanced manufacturing and trades occupations.
Closing the Gap: Season 2!
Our podcast, Closing the Gap is back with an all new season! This time around we will get some help from some curious students who have tons of questions for our women in skilled trades and STEM. Our first episode will be airing on October 17th where we will be speaking with Cassie Hidalgo, bicycle mechanic, and owner of Portland’s Gladys Bikes. We will have WAHS student Tori Thorp along to help give a great interview. Listen on Spotify or our website midvalleystem.com/closing-the-gap.
Join Our Team!
The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub is looking for a Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Manager. This position will be responsible for the full range of fund development activities and reporting, program evaluations and analysis, and planning and implementation of outreach strategies to align with the Hub's mission, vision, values, strategic and program goals.

Consider joining our team, apply here today!
Resources, Events, & Upcoming Opportunities
STEM/CTE Community Bulletin Board
What's happening in your school/business/organization? Send us your news items for the Community Bulletin Board in our monthly newsletter and we'll help you spread the word! We ask that submissions be regional, non-commercial, STEM/CTE germane, and be limited to one sentence and a link. Submissions are due by the third Monday of each month.
Professional Development Opportunity: Rural Learning Collaborative
We’re looking for rural STEAM educators and administrators to participate in the Rural STEAM Leadership Network for a series of four daylong institutes for our region; stipends and sub pay are available; learn more here.
The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub Educator Lending Library is here!
Our Educator Lending Library features classroom sets and kits of some of the most innovative and engaging educational tools and toys available, including BBC Micro Bits, KEVA planks, LEGO, Sphero Bolt robots, as well as tablets and laptops. Take a look at our lending library catalog and see what all we have to offer! Educators can request any of these items through this Lending Library Request Form.

If there are STEM-related teaching tools that you know you want for your class and don’t have access to, please let us know so we can try to fill that gap! Email us at midvalleystemctehub@linnbenton.edu.

Are you interested in 3D printing? The MVSCH wants to support you! We are planning to offer 3D printing machines for check out, an entry-level course for educators, and classroom support for teachers who would like to bring 3D printing to their classrooms. Email midvalleystemctehub@linnbenton.edu if you are interested in this exciting opportunity!
STEM Beyond School is accepting applicants for their 2021-2022 cohort
We have just opened our application process for the 2021-2022 cohort (October - June) and are looking for afterschool/out-of-school time (OST) instructors or site managers working with youth in grades K-8 who are interested in adding or amplifying STEM/STEAM in your existing programming. 

All participants receive:
* A minimum of 50 hours of STEM/STE(A)M professional development;
* A stipend of $2500 (made in 2 disbursements in February and June)
* The opportunity to apply for additional mini-grant opportunities

Below is more information on the SBS program 
* Google slideshow providing an overview of the program / info sheet
* Attached info sheet with links to info sessions (October 6 and 13)
* Link to the application - DEADLINE = October 22nd

For questions and/or more information, please contact Chris Singer.
Oregon CSTA Fall Conference - Saturday, October 16th
This year's theme is moving student learning forward while teaching computer science during a global pandemic. Hear from your fellow CS teacher peers from around the state and region, learn about clever ways to keep students engaged whether online or masked up in your classroom, commiserate with your peers, and more.

Register here.
October's Social Media Support
When should you post?
When trying to reach a large audience, the time of day at which you post your content is an important element to consider.

Why did one post go viral but the next post flop? One factor can be the time and day at which you made a social media post. You may not know right away, but with some analysis of your posts’ performance you can figure out when your audience is viewing your content and when they are less likely to see your posts. Maybe you’ll find that if you compare similar content that is posted at different times or on different days of the week, one time slot yields much more audience engagement than the other.

This is because your audience may be more likely to be active at those specific times rather than others. For example, if I post my new video from my session at the rock climbing gym at 8 pm every Wednesday it consistently performs better than when I post it the following morning, I can conclude that my audience is more active at 8 pm on Wednesday than most other times and therefore my post will be more impactful on the community consuming my content when shared at 8 pm on a Wednesday.

Need some social media support? Let me know what you want to learn about! Send me an email at montgok@linnbenton.edu.
STEM-CTE News
Robot makes history completing a 5K course
Cassie the robot, invented at Oregon State University and produced by OSU spin-out company Agility Robotics, made history by traversing 5 kilometers, completing the route in just over 53 minutes. Check out the video that was featured on Good Morning America.
National Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15 - 10/15)
National Hispanic Heritage Month honors Hispanic and Latinx people, culture, and their influence on American society. Please check out Greater Albany Public Schools series of district-wide programming including three virtual keynote speakers.

Want to learn more about influential Hispanic people in STEM? Visit our website to learn more.
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