A.B. Combs Elementary
Wake County Public School System
Mentors: Dr. Laura Bottomley and Liz Parry, NC State University
Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline
Finding Solutions through Problem Solving Methods in Engineering
In collaboration with Dr. Laura Bottomley and Liz Parry from the college of engineering at NC State University, Justin Osterstrom is incorporating an array of experiences to further deepen the level of engineering taught in elementary classrooms. Through his research experience, he will be developing thematic units for kindergarten through fifth grade students that focus on different fields of engineering. Each unit will have a full STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) focus while including literacy and 21st century skills aligned with each grade levels standard course of study. Justin will participate in national field tests being conducted from EiE (Engineering is Elementary – Boston Museum of Science) and help align them with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. He will be working with pre-service teachers at NC State University to assist in teaching instructional technology and STEM research being used in elementary classrooms. In addition, he will help teachers in training them on EiE and assistance with STEM implementation within their particular schools.