Community launch event for IDRA’s federal Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) hub. (l-r) Dr. Michael Flores, Alamo Colleges Chancellor; Joe Sánchez, Cyber Texas President; Dr. Raul Reyna, founder, Alamo STEM Ecosystem; Alicia de Hoyos, IDRA STEM youth leader & student at South San Antonio ISD; San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg; Dr. Stephanie Garcia, IDRA STEM education specialist; and Alamo STEM Ecosystem lead; and Dr. Cliff Zintgraff, chief learning officer, SAMSAT. (2023)
A new investment beginning in the fall of 2024 in San Antonio promises to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators. The Department of Defense announced its 10-year award of the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to IDRA to help prepare a workforce ready for the challenges of the future.
This grant award builds on the previous collaboration (see below) launched in 2023 when San Antonio was named as one of only four STEM Education Hubs in the nation. With IDRA’s co-leadership, the Alamo STEM Ecosystem brought together educators, community leaders and industry partners to expand opportunities for K-16 students.
In the initial phase of this new initiative, IDRA is convening partners to host a STEM youth summit to provide meaningful STEM activities for underperforming and first-generation college-going students in and around San Antonio. We also coordinate teacher externships to increase college and career awareness and real-world STEM connections in classrooms.
Applications Open for 2025 Summer Externships in San Antonio!
Activities
STEM Youth Summit held January 17, 2024 and March 5, 2025.
Alamo STEM Ecosystem Educator Conference held February 3, 2024 and February 22, 2025.
Since the summer of 2023, STEM Hub holds teacher training through educator externships in partnership with IDRA, Alamo STEM Workforce Coalition, Education Service Center Region 20, ATEAMS, ASU, and local DoD partners.
We also held summer camps for students, including a cyber camp and a rocketry and space exploration camp. Partners included IDRA, SAMSAT, CyberTexas and local DoD partners.
In March 2023, we co-hosted a community launch for the first DSEC program with San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg to announce a federal initiative to bolster the STEM pipeline for San Antonio students. Speakers included Dr. Stephanie Garcia, IDRA STEM education specialist and Alamo STEM Ecosystem lead; Dr. Michael Flores, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges; Dr. Raul Reyna, Founder, Alamo STEM Ecosystem; Alicia de Hoyos, IDRA STEM youth leader & student at South San Antonio ISD and Along with representatives from Cyber Texas, Palo Alto College, Ft. Sam ISD, Edgewood ISD, North East ISD.
We invite potential collaborators to contact Dr. Stephanie Garcia, project director, at stephanie.garcia@IDRA.org.
DSEC Project Goals
The Defense STEM Education Consortium 2023 named the Alamo STEM Ecosystem, co-led by IDRA, as one of four STEM hubs in the country. The Alamo STEM Ecosystem brings together educators, industry and other partners. As lead, IDRA is increasing opportunities for young students to work directly with technology to expand their problem-solving skills.
Engage – The STEM Hub engages K-16 students and educators in meaningful formal and informal STEM learning experiences.
Serve – We focus on serving students who are underperforming and first-generation college-going in STEM.
Connect – The STEM Hub connects STEM experiences to DoD STEM workforce and careers.
Leverage – We leverage the consortium as a force multiplier to amplify the reach, visibility, and outcomes.
Evolve – The STEM Hub uses a data-driven approach to evolve and evaluate how the project operates over time to ensure positive outcomes for students and educators.
About the Defense STEM Education Consortium: DSEC, fully funded by the DoD and managed by RTI International, is a collaborative partnership of STEM-focused organizations dedicated to addressing and prioritizing the nation’s STEM talent. In support of the DoD STEM Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2021-2025 and aligned with the 2018 Federal STEM Strategic Plan, DSEC aims to broaden STEM literacy and develop a diverse and agile workforce with the technical excellence to defend the nation. Through strategic investments in STEM education and outreach activities, DSEC partner efforts provide students and educators with exposure to educational and workforce development opportunities as well as awareness about career opportunities in STEM fields across the DoD.
