District community members from Manvel to Pearland gathered at the AISD administration building located at 301 E. House St., Alvin, for the official unveiling of the AISD STEM Explorer Bus on May 10.
AISD’s STEM Explorer Bus will teach students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, said Ana Pasarella, the district’s director of family and community engagement. The district aims to use the bus to expose students to various STEM experiences, said Erica Price, AISD’s career and technical education department director.
“This STEM bus is an exciting, mobile STEM experience for all our kids to explore,” Price told Community Impact Newspaper. “One thing we aim to continue working on in AISD is bringing more STEM engagement to our younger scholars at the elementary level.”
The bus will offer nine different stations, including augmented and virtual reality; 3D printing; robotics; drones; and ISS Above, which was donated by NASA and will allow students to track the International Space Station, Pasarella said.
The district raised $140,000 for the project, Pasarella said, which came from over 20 sponsors, both corporate and local, such as the AISD Education Foundation, T-Mobile and Phillips 66.
Bus details
The idea for the STEM Explorer Bus goes as far back as 2016, when the district undertook a similar endeavor with its book bus, Pasarella said.
The district’s book bus travels across different neighborhoods within AISD’s boundaries to bring books to students, she said.
The STEM Explorer Bus aims to capture the same concept by promoting STEM programs instead, she said. The need to promote STEM within the district has been a focal point for AISD and was highlighted by state and district State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores in 2019-20, Pasarella said.
In AISD, 60% of students in all grades met or exceeded grade level in science STAAR scores. For the math STAAR, 51% of all students in the district met or exceeded grade level, according to the Texas Academic Performance Report for the 2019-20 school year.
“AISD is committed to our student success in STEM, be it engineering, computer science or health care,” Price said. “All of these AISD [career and technical education] programs are preparing students for STEM jobs of the future, some of which have not been created yet.”
With the bus introduced, it will tour schools across the district in the final weeks of the academic year to offer students and teachers a first look ahead of its summer schedule, which includes traveling between E.C. Mason, Bel Nafegar Sanchez and Bill Hasse elementary schools during the district’s summer school programs, Pasarella said. AISD will use the summer to make adjustments for the 2022-23 year, she added.
Additionally, the district is launching a high school internship program open to rising 11th and 12th graders interested in any of the STEM fields.
