STEM education for older adults has great societal and personal benefits, yet present offerings are minimal. This interdisciplinary online workshop aims to develop strategies for a more highly educated older population by bringing together experts and decision-makers from different disciplines to discuss increasing STEM education efforts for mature adults.
Confirmed speakers:
This presentation explores the crucial intersection of STEM education and lifelong learning for individuals aged 60 and above. With a growing segment of the U.S. population entering their mature years, we delve into the potential of harnessing this demographic as a valuable resource for the workforce and society at large. Lifelong learning's profound impact on the health, independence, and economic stability of mature adults is highlighted, along with its role in combating misinformation and promoting science literacy. The session also addresses the existing educational behaviors, motivators, and barriers among older learners, while shedding light on the underdiscussed topic of STEM program development for mature adults.
About the speaker:
Dr. Sandra von Doetinchem is a distinguished lifelong learning researcher and a visionary leader in the realms of workforce development and continuing education for (mature) adult learners. Holding a Ph.D. in lifelong learning from the University of Tuebingen, Germany, Sandra presently assumes the role of Senior Scientist at Eduworks Corporation, a cutting-edge AI-driven educational technology company, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of learning and work. Prior to joining Eduworks, Sandra served as a faculty specialist at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (UHM), where she chaired the Continuing and Professional Program department at Outreach College. Preceding her time at UHM, Sandra was a Public Education Specialist at UC Berkeley’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
We are living at a time where there are nearly equal numbers of people in every age group in the U.S., from birth to the early 70s. At the same time, increasing numbers of people past midlife need or desire to work well into traditional retirement age. This presentation will review findings from several studies (e.g., Encore Career Survey, Cogeneration Survey, Current Population Survey, Health and Retirement Study) on the interests and experiences of older workers—in both paid and volunteer roles—while making the case for increasing pathways to continued economic and community engagement opportunities throughout the lifespan.
About the speaker:
Cal J. Halvorsen, PhD, MSW, is an assistant professor at the Boston College School of Social Work, a project lead and investigator at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, and Well-being, an affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, and a Senior Research Fellow at CoGenerate. His work examines aging societies, intergenerational initiatives, and the need and desire for people past midlife to work past traditional retirement age, with particular emphasis on self-employment, encore careers, low-income workers, and volunteering. His research and training have been funded by both public and private sources, including the U.S. Social Security Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Institutes of Health, AARP, and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.
For over 25 years, the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center has been looking at risk factors for developing cognitive problems with age. By conducting the largest longitudinal studies in the world where 1000s of people agree to yearly testing and organ donation at time of death, we are learning the lifestyle choices which seem to be protective for brain health. This presentation will cover maintaining brain health and the impact of seniors in research.
About the speaker:
Susan Frick Susan Frick, LMSW, has worked at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center since 1997. She coordinates dementia specific training programs for health care professionals and helps coordinate the Dementia Friendly and Dementia Friends initiatives in Illinois. Susan is the Director of Without Warning, a support program for individuals and families who live with younger onset Alzheimer’s and the Executive Producer of the documentary, created by the group, now airing on PBS and Amazon Prime entitled, Too Soon to Forget: The Journey of Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. She is the presenter of the TEDx talk entitled Loneliness and Alzheimer’s Disease. She works with patients and families in the Rush Memory Clinic and with people involved in RADC research studies. Susan received her master's degree in social work from Loyola University of Chicago, her undergraduate degree from Elmhurst University, and has worked in the field of Alzheimer’s disease since 1987
NASA has a strong Earth science program, which sometimes surprises people. We would like to invite “citizen scientists” of all ages to “tell their stories” as they interact with NASA data and use it to better understand their local environment. In this free, easy to access effort, participants use smart phones to take a quick observation of a tree or clouds, and then send their observation to a NASA scientist. The scientist uses their location data to provide them with the satellite data showing how much seasonal precipitation fell where this observation was taken and asks some leading questions they can answer to tell “their story”. These stories are shared on a virtual map to enable anyone to take a look at the stories from around the world and better understand how differencing amounts of precipitation impact their lives.
About the speaker:
Dorian has a passion for sharing the wonders of NASA's science and exploration with others across all age levels! For over three decades, she taught public school in both special and general education settings across all grade levels. She was an Einstein Fellow Finalist and achieved National Board Certification in Science Education, served on numerous education working groups, and wrote science curriculum for the country. She now serves as NASA’s “Global Precipitation Measurement” (GPM) mission’s Education and Outreach Coordinator, and she develops resources to help share the science, technology, and real-world applications of GPM with others. She is a Mentor GLOBE trainer, a member of the GLOBE Education Working Group, and supports the GLOBE field campaigns. Her most recent project is leading an effort to engage Lifelong Learners with The GLOBE Campaign’s Citizen Science efforts.
In today’s economy, adults ages 50-plus continue to show interest in growing their skillsets – for their own personal interest or to remain competitive in the workforce. They employ a growth mindset and have a desire to learn and grow professionally. The demand for skilled workers is providing the workforce with leverage to seek jobs with growth opportunities they desire. And, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen workers leave the workforce – in search of jobs where they feel valued, have opportunities to grow and utilize their skills, or pursue new passions or career path. In a study among 2,000 workers ages 40-plus, results showed that over seven in 10 continually seek new ways to upskill and grow in their jobs. In fact, the majority say that the opportunity to learn something new is a required culture characteristic before accepting a job. A new initiative, the 50+ Education Comebackers, highlights the importance of providing adults ages 50-plus with support to continue their higher education journey.
About the speakers:
Lona Choi-Allum, PhD, is a senior research advisor in AARP Research where she conducts national and state research on the experiences of older workers related to financial security, employment, workplace culture, age discrimination, and reskilling and upskilling. In addition, she has led research on the prevalence of frauds and scams among older adults and conducted an annual taxpayer satisfaction survey for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide. Before joining AARP’s national office, she managed federal grants under the National Science Foundation and the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the SPRY Foundation - creating an intergenerational science program to promote lifelong learning and social connectedness between older adults and school-age children. She also spent over two years managing a cadre of health volunteers in 16 states in AARP’s Health Advocacy Services in the Atlanta office. She holds a doctorate and a master’s in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Jen Schramm, MPhil, SHRM-SCP, GPHR, is a senior policy advisor at the AARP Public Policy Institute, where, as part of the Financial Security Team, she identifies policy challenges and opportunities related to workers age 50+. Through research and analyses of emerging employment trends, she develops policy options to help older workers find and retain jobs. She writes the monthly AARP/PPI Employment Data Digest and accompanying jobs blog. She holds an MPhil in social and political science from the University of Cambridge.
This presentation will center on funding opportunities for research on programs that support STEM learning for older adults. We will provide a brief overview of the National Science Foundation and the importance of proposals focusing on science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). We will then provide an overview of the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program and the importance of proposals advancing the knowledge base about learning in informal STEM (i.e., research). Finally we will highlight a few of the AISL-funded projects that focuson STEM learning for older adults. During Q&A we will aim to weave in venues where other work has been done that could inform future work with older adults.
About the speakers:
Toni Dancstep is a Program Officer in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National Science Foundation. Toni is an informal STEM learning researcher who is excited about research that is co-designed and interpreted with practitioners and learners. She likes to learn about and contribute to research and development projects that question and expand systems, designs, and ways of knowing. At the NSF, Toni has worked with the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL), EHR Core Research (ECR), Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST), and Racial Equity in STEM Education programs.
Robert L. Russell, Ph.D. is a Program Officer in the Division of Research on Learning in Informal and Formal Settings. He has been a program officer at NSF for the past ten years, managing grant awards in the NSF’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning, as well other programs concerned with DRK-12 STEM, STEM careers, and other areas. During his prior career, he worked primarily on projects in informal settings targeting all ages, including exhibits, computer interactives, radio, TV, large format films, print media, community-based projects, and others. His roles included working as a consultant with 50+ organizations, director of two museums and other non-profits involved in STEM education.