The SMT Center is a member of the national STEM Ecosystem Community of Practice (COP). The STEM COP is a network of over 84 communities committed to nurturing and scaling effective STEM learning opportunities for all young people. Other members of the STEM COP in NC are STEM East, STEM West and STEM SENC, NC Center for Afterschool Programs, the NC Science Network, State Library of North Carolina and Greene County Schools.
The STEM learner is at the center of the work of the SMT Center. To support the STEM learner requires the work of many individuals and organizations. It’s an ecosystem of entities that build on the work of each to create a system that supports STEM. The STEM ecosystem includes school districts, museums and science centers, business and industry, libraries, higher education, out-of-school time organizations and families. The network leverages the expertise of its stakeholders including their knowledge of and relationships in the communities they represent in order to better serve students. The network is driven to ensure that young people have equitable access to STEM opportunities which prepare them to be successful as adults in a world that is defined by STEM.
