Texas Chief Science Officers Program

CSOs in Action

IDRA Texas CSOs serve as STEM ambassadors in their school communities

Here are a few highlights of our CSOs in action.

CSO Shreya, a 10th grader, created a Discord BellBot for her peers who are studying at home to alert them, as a school bell would, to transition to the next subject’s coursework. It also gives them quick links to their teacher’s online platforms and assignments and allows students to document each day’s homework. Shreya attends Keystone School.

Eighth-grader CSO Elizabeth and her team at NEISD STEM Academy are finalists in their digital inclusion project for the SA Smart: The Mayor’s K-12 Smart City Challenge. The challenge asked for ideas to solve the city’s 38% digital divide. Their idea is to increase sales tax to push funding to communities who need digital inclusion resources. Winners will be announced later this month.

“We’re proud to foster students’ discovery of STEM pathways and make an important global program available to Texas students,” said IDRA President & CEO Celina Moreno. “Our CSO program amplifies voices of underserved students as they advocate STEM in their schools.”

CSO Ian’s original action plan was to lead a STEMonstration for his youth group, which of course could not happen once COVID-19 closures began. Instead, he led a virtual STEMonstration via Zoom. He and a friend created a DIY (do it yourself) water coagulation kit using household materials to build a circuit board, creating an electric current that purifies polluted water. Ian is an eighth grader in Cornerstone Christian Schools Online.

In addition to her STEM work for school, CSO Alicia focused on her family by teaching her little sister how to build and operate robots. Alicia is a seventh grader at Dwight STEM Academy in South San Antonio ISD.

Videos: Student Panelists & Keynoters – Future Inventors, Innovators and Entrepreneurs, at the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice Convening, March 2, 2020. Two CSO students were among the six speakers.

Videos: Students in our end-of-year showcase with highlights from this year.

News

Article: Chief Science Officers Encourage STEM and a Healthy State of Mind, by Owen Balagia & Reagan Lindsey, IDRA Newsletter, August 2021

Article: Leading a STEMonstration on Water Purification, by Landon Villarreal, IDRA Newsletter, August 2021

Article: Youth STEM Ambassadors to Peek Inside the World of Aviation and Aerospace, State Aviation Journal, January 24, 2021

eNews: Youth STEM Ambassadors to Peek Inside the World of Aviation and Aerospace – Dee Howard Foundation Provides Virtual Tours and Curriculum for IDRA Texas Chief Science Officer Students, eNews, January 19, 2021

Article: Chief Science Officer Students Lead the Way, IDRA Newsletter, November-December 2020

Webinar: Elevating Youth Voice in STEM Programming, held by National Girls Collaborative Project, featuring CSO Shreya and IDRA Texas CSO Director, Dr. Stephanie Garcia

Article: We Create Hope Within Our Communities – Before and During COVID-19, Texas Chief Science Officers Advocate for STEM, by Elizabeth Alexander, Shreya Chaudhary & Isela Herrera, IDRA Newsletter, August 2020

Article: Engaging Families in STEM Conversations with Students, by Stephanie Garcia, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter, August 2020

Video: Chief Science Officer Araceli Explains Google Classroom 

Press Release: Chief Science Officer Teens Get Creative to Promote STEM While Navigating School Closures – IDRA Texas CSOs serve as STEM ambassadors in their school communities, May 27, 2020

Podcast: STEM Students Describe Life in a COVID-19 World–  Classnotes Episode 201

Webinar: Elevate the Voices of Students in STEM at Your School – Webinar Q&A on Hosting the Texas Chief Science Officer Program

Webinar: Chief Science Officer Students Determined to Promote STEM Despite School Closures

Podcast:Meet the Chief Science Officer Students Who Brought the Program to Texas – Classnotes Podcast 199

News story: In new San Antonio science and tech program, students call the shots, Alia Malik, San Antonio Express-News, October 17, 2019.

Event: On June 18, 2019, IDRA held a public launch event at the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT). See IDRA Launches Chief Science Officer ™ Program in Texas.

Articles by CSO students:

Podcast: Student Voice – Chief Science Officer International Program – Classnotes Podcast Episode 193

Event: Leadership Training Institute for Chief Science Officers in San Antonio took place September 26-27, 2019.

Contact

5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78228

Phone: 210-444-1710
Fax: 210-444-1714