Progress Updates
Develop IMSA innovation hubs around the state, including online, so that more students seeking enrichment in STEM can access IMSA and its pre-enrollment programs.
November/December 2024
Dr. Glazer and Dr. Mekky visited EPIC Academy, a CPS Charter, as well as Dominican University in Pilsen to explore partnerships for pre-enrollment and outreach programming.
There are currently two programs in development at our SIU Carbondale Hub. They include piloting a new middle school engineering summer camp in Marion, Illinois, with
expansion planned to Herrin, IL in February. Teacher training is included and SIU pre-service teachers may be employed for the camp. Also, a family STEM night was held at Herrin Elementary on November 4th for K-4 students and families.
The following programming has been ongoing in our SIU Edwardsville Hub in the Metro-East region:
All About Animals (Nov 16th): A fully developed in-person Saturday STEM program for grades 1-2 at Belle Valley School.Biomedical & Surgical Explorations (Nov 23rd): A partially developed in-person Saturday STEM program for grades 7-8 at Jerseyville Community Hospital, requiring some additional supply ordering and marketing.
All About Animals (Dec 7th): An in-person Saturday STEM program for grades 1-2 at O’Fallon School District.
Biomedical & Surgical Explorations (Nov 23rd): A partially developed in-person Saturday STEM program for grades 7-8 at Jerseyville
Community Hospital, requiring some additional supply ordering and marketing.
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October 2024
We have reconnected with Dominican University to continue our previous engagements around developing an MOU to establish a summer programming partnership. Dr. Mekky visited the SIU-E campus in Belleville and explored partnerships with the Assistant Director of Non-Credit Programs, the Dean of the School of Business, the Coordinator of Undergraduate Research, and the Aviation Flight Coordinator at SWIC.
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September 2024
Will Perkins met with SIU-E staff to discuss an MOA in order to establish an Edwardsville Innovation Hub. Our colleague Dawn Waller will run research, outreach and professional development programs out of the Hub. In addition, the Griffiss Institute Scott AFB Metro East has awarded IMSA $18,000 for Downstate programming efforts. We are also pleased to announce we have hired a new Chicago Innovation Hub manager who will begin at the end of September. We are excited our new colleague has considerable educator experience in Chicago, and has also
embraced tech and innovation development.
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July/August 2024
Dr. Glazer visited SIUE and SIUC July 22-23 to further conversations about IMSA Innovation Hubs. Patrick Young has opened our first IMSA Innovation Hub location in Carbondale, following a successful research program in June. Two of our students were profiled in this article about their solar research.
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June 2024
We are currently advertising the role of a Chicago Hub Director in order to deliver IMSA programs/services to students and educators in Chicago. Also, we are finalizing a MOA with Dominican University, with the intention of running an office in their new campus in Pilsen.
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April/May 2024
Will Perkins facilitated a presentation on May 1 about the Innovation Hubs to the IMSA Academy. We have a signed MOA with SIUC to launch the IMSA Innovation Hub starting in July 2024. The Hub Manager position for Chicago will be posted by the end of May. In addition, we are working with Dominican University in the Pilsen neighborhood for a place office location for the Chicago Hub Manager.
We are exploring opportunities to partner with Jack and Jill of America programing in underserved communities around the state.
March 2024
The MOA for an IMSA Innovation Hub has been submitted to SIUC for review. We will launch the partnership with a four week student research program this summer for approximately 20 students (two weeks in person and two weeks remote). In addition, conversations are ongoing with SIUE and Dominican University for the next possible sites for a second Hub.
February 2024
The MOA for an IMSA Innovation Hub has been submitted to SIUC for signatures. We will launch a three week student research program this summer or approximately 20 students. In addition, conversations are ongoing with SIUE and Dominican University for the next possible sites for a second Hub.
January 2024
A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) has been sent to Southern Illinois University, Carbondale to articulate roles and responsibilities of the Innovation Hub partnership. Chief
Mission and Impact Officer Will Perkins will provide a Deep Dive overview at the March 20 Board of Trustees meeting.
We are also exploring pathways to establish a future Innovation Hub in Chicago. Currently we are in conversations with Dominican University as a possible future site for PROMISE, NIU’s EdSystems for online courses, and UIC for future research experiences.
December 2023
As we develop a pilot for an Innovation Hub in Carbondale, we are exploring a potential student exchange that would grant an IMSA research experience for two weeks (intersession) to one semester on the Aurora campus. As part of this partnership, SIUC will be providing summer research experiences to our students, starting Summer 2024.
Through the reorganization of Mission and Impact, we will be advertising a Director of Downstate programs to offer leadership and support for Innovation Hubs, summer programs downstate and IMSA Online offerings. Previously this unit had leadership positions for student outreach and professional development outreach, and moving forward, we will have leadership positions for Chicago-Metro student/educator outreach and Downstate student/educator outreach.
November 2023
To close the equity gaps and vastly expand IMSA’s reach, IMSA plans to establish three or four innovation hubs throughout the state to serve local students and educators. We will also partner with a college or university in each region, sharing their space and collaborating through experiential learning opportunities—providing a combination of research, internships, entrepreneurship programs, college-level course work, and turnkey curriculum and training for area educators. Each hub would specialize in distinct areas of STEM cybersecurity, quantum computing, and others—aligned with the economic opportunities and needs of its specific region.
By investing in hubs in various regions of Illinois, many more K-12 students will have the chance to experience a slice of the IMSA experience. For example, a high-school student could take courses on agriculture in the hub in their hometown of Carbondale and then study for several months at the AI center at our Aurora campus. Another student could take a single cybersecurity class or engage in an internship at a new hub in, say, Chicago. More students could also gain access to summer camps and enrichment programs at the hubs, offering them new pathways to a career in STEM and the chance to contribute to their local communities and beyond. And we’d be able to significantly expand our professional- development workshops for K-12 teachers on how to effectively teach our model STEM curricula in their classes.
We are exploring a partnership with Southern Illinois University to pilot the first two innovation hubs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Southern Illinois University Carbondale beginning next academic year.
