News
New Name, Same Mission
Did you notice anything different in the header? Our name has changed! We are now called The Regional Math & Science Program housed under the Center for Community & Experiential Engagement (CCEE). We are excited to continue connecting students, families, and the community partners with meaningful opportunities for experiental learning
TECH Week GR
The Regional Math and Science Program (RMSP) and CCEE participated in Tech Week by connecting students and the community with engaging, hands-on STEM experiences. Through interactive activities and outreach, the RMSP showcased STEM learning and career pathways while highlighting the many ways science, technology, engineering, and mathematics shape our everyday lives
K-12 Opportunities
Julia Robinson Math Festival
Lauren Keough from GVSU would like to host a Julia Robinson Math Festival (JRMF) for your students and their families!
What's JRMF? A celebration of math! More specifically, we'll set up collection of interactive puzzles at different tables. Students and families are free to move between tables to engage with each other and with mathematics. All puzzles are designed to be low floor and high ceiling so that people of all ages can find something for them.
Why? As you know, lots of people have the wrong idea about math. For Lauren, math is a joyful experience done in community, and she's on a mission to bring that experience to as many people as possible. A JRMF can expand participants ideas of what mathematics is, and know that their mathematical ideas are interesting and valued.
How? Lauren is volunteering to do the organization for the event! She can gather volunteers, or she'd love to have you volunteer. She'd also love you to be a participant! When? Flexible on timing! It could be an evening or a Saturday, or even during the school day.
Does this really work? In 2026, I hosted successful festivals for 60+ incarcerated people at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility and incoming Oliver Wilson Scholars at GVSU. In my experience so far, participants have all been engaged and reported having fun!
Get in touch: If you want to know more, contact Lauren at Learn more [email protected]
Learn more at Puzzles | JRMF
Michigan Statistics Poster Competition Is Back For 2027!
The Department of Statistics at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), the Regional Math and Science Center at GVSU, and the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics are pleased to announce the 2027 Michigan Statistics Poster Competition for K–12 students.
A statistics poster tells the story of a data set using numbers, graphs, and written explanations. Resources to help students and teachers participate—including articles explaining the poster process, sample lesson plans, standards alignments, videos, and examples of past winning posters —are available on the competition website.
All Michigan students in grades K–12 are eligible to participate. Entries will be judged in four grade level categories:
K–3
4–6
7–9
10–12
Students may work individually or in teams. K–3 teams have no size limit and may include an entire class. Teams in grades 4–12 may include up to four students.
There is no entry fee. All posters must be registered through the competition website before submission. Students may submit either a physical poster by mail or drop-off, or an electronic poster by uploading a high-quality image or digitally created file through the online registration system. Guidelines for creating digital posters are available on the competition website.
Important Dates
Submission deadline: March 26, 2027
Prize winners notified: May 7, 2027
First-, second-, and third-place winners in each grade category will receive $144, $96, and $72, respectively. Winning schools will receive plaques, and honorable mention certificates will also be awarded. Winning posters will be submitted to the American Statistical Association’s national competition, where they may be eligible for additional prizes.
All submitted posters become the property of the GVSU Department of Statistics
For more information, contact event organizer Dan Adrian at [email protected].
2026 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest: "Chemistry Under Construction"
The Western Michigan Local Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is sponsoring an
illustrated poem contest for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Contest Deadline: October 10th
Prizes: $25 Gift Card
Contact: Andrew Lantz at “[email protected]
Winners of the Western Michigan Local Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the
National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!
Write and illustrate a poem using the NCW theme, “Chemistry Under Construction”
Your poem must be no more than 40 words and in the following styles to be considered:
HAIKU - LIMERICK - ODE - ABC POEM - FREE VERSE - END RHYME - BLANK VERSE
Possible topics related to the theme include:
· Chemical reaction
· Molecules
· Copper
· Polymers
· Adhesive
· Concrete
· Insulation
· Metals
Entries will be judged based upon:
· Artistic Merit - use of color, quality of drawing, design, and layout
· Poem Message - fun, motivational, inspiring about yearly theme
· Originality Creativity - unique, clever and/or creative design
· Neatness - free of spelling and grammatical error
Contest Rules:
Teachers! Unlock Your Students Engineering Potential!
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) is partnering with the GE Aerospace Foundation to launch Next Engineers Grand Rapids, a global engineering education initiative designed to inspire and prepare students ages 12–18 for future careers in engineering. The program aims to expand access to engineering education, introduce students to diverse engineering careers, and build the skills needed to become tomorrow’s problem-solvers and innovators.
Next Engineers Grand Rapids will offer two key programs:
Engineering Discovery & Engineering Academy
Grand Rapids is one of eight locations worldwide participating in Next Engineers. With funding from the GE Aerospace Foundation and technical support from FHI 360, GVSU will coordinate and deliver the local program, building on its experience in hands-on engineering education, K–12 STEM programming, and community engagement throughout West Michigan
For more information or to sign your class up contact Liz Montoya at [email protected]
Fall Events
Events & More Information
TECH Week: Grand Rapids
Sept 14th-19th
As an unconference, Tech Week is participant-driven. That means that
the events, discussions, demos, and showcases are led by the people
who live and work in our community. This is your chance to mingle with
like-minded people — from our region and across the country — face-to-face, to exchange ideas, network, pick up new information and ultimately
help move the conversation forward.
Learn More at techweekgr.com
Chemistry At The Museum!
Free Event In Muskegon
Join the Western Michigan Local Section of the American Chemical Society for a free community event
for National Chemistry Week to celebrate the importance of chemistry in everyday life! Learn about this
year’s theme, Chemistry Under Construction, with fun hands-on activities!
At this year’s Chemistry at the Museum event, visitors can tour the museum for free, visit activity tables
relating to the chemistry of construction, and also watch a chemistry demo show!
When: Saturday, October 10th, 11am – 3pm
Where: Lakeshore Museum, 430 W Clay Ave, Muskegon, MI
Questions about the event, please contact Andrew Lantz at [email protected]
Join us at the 74th Annual MSTA Conference
Science: Built on Community! Participate in workshops, learn
from keynote speakers, network, and visit exhibitors and
sponsors. There will be special features like field trips, an awards dinner, and multiple session tracks
for science educators. Call for proposals now open! All educators Pre-K through college are
encouraged to attend! Each educator can receive SCECH credit for continuing education hours for
an additional $25 fee.
Conference and hotel information can be found on our website. Register today!
Date: March 5th & 6th
Location:
Radisson Hotel
Downtown Kalamazoo
100 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Questions? Lisa Keefer [email protected]
FIRST Robotics at GVSU
The Padnos College of Engineering (PCE) at Grand Valley State University prepares the next
generation of engineers, designers, and problem solvers. Through PCE Outreach, we connect with
K–12 students and educators across West Michigan to make engineering approachable, engaging,
and accessible.
FIRST Robotics is a big part of that work. GVSU hosts a high school FRC practice field and the
West Michigan District Event, and this fall we are expanding our FIRST involvement by welcoming
middle school students participating in FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) to the Innovation and Design
Center.
Our next FRC appearance will be at Allendale High School as we support young women in robotics
and STEM. Stop by our table and say hello!
September 26 | Grand Rapids Girls Robotics Competition
Allendale High School
11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Bring GVSU Engineering Into Your Classroom!
We want to hear from you! Complete our short interest form to share your interests and help us
identify ways PCE and our students can support your classroom.
For GVSU Students
Real Talk: Humanities Edition
Thursday, October 8th, 2026
A Career-Building Workshop
Join us on Thursday for Real Talk: Humanities Edition. This is a great
opportunity for students to meet GVSU alumni and career professionals
from their major to gain inside information on career paths, resume and
interviewing tips, networking, and more. Dinner, refreshments, and
dessert will be provided to attendees.
Please help us spread the word to students that may be interested!
Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Location: Kirkhof Center, Room 2204 Pere Marquette, Allendale Campus
Check Out These Class Offerings For Winter 27'
Classroom Resources
Need a Quick Lesson?
Try Our Favorite Dear Data Activity!
Looking for a creative, low-prep activity that gets students talking, creating, and thinking about data?
Try Dear Data!
Students create a “data selfie” using fun prompts such as, “Do you sing in the shower?” They then
create a visual snapshot of their responses and interview classmates about their creations. The
prompts are interchangeable (see what we did there?) and can easily be adapted to fit your
classroom, students, or content.
This activity puts the Art in STEAM while introducing foundational skills connected to statistics,
geometry, data visualization, and more.
We love using Dear Data as a creative and painless icebreaker that students and staff actually
enjoy! Best of all, we always leave having learned something new about one another.
Access the Date Selfie Activity Here:
Check out the Dear Data activity from TED
Ideas
Materials Needed:
• Projector
• Paper for each student (square paper works
best)
• Markers
If you try it with your students, let us know how it
goes! Our friends in GVSU’s Department of
Digital Studies are leading a Dear Data
campaign and love seeing Dear Data in the wild, especially when students create their own
postcards. If you’re interested in additional questions, lesson ideas, or ways to get your class
involved, feel free to reach out to them!
Courtesy of GVSU Padnos College of Engineering.
Frontiers for Young Minds: A Resource for mid-grades Science Teaching
Frontiers for Young Minds is an open-access science journal for kids, by kids." Articles in various
fields focus on global problems, written for the 8 - 15 age group. Article reviewers are of the same
age to involve students in the process of evaluating articles. Student involvement insures narratives
are written at middle K-12 levels. The goal is to provide science access that is understandable and
impactful. Narratives explain Technical terms are explained and illustrated. Authors highlight ends of
articles with briefs as to their interests in science.
Our research team has contributed three articles:
Rangel-Buitrago, N., Gracia C., A., Galgani, F., and Neal, W.J., 2026, Sandbags on the Beach: A
Quick Help, Long Term Trouble. Frontiers for Young Minds v. 14, 1609699.
Rangel-Buitrago, N., and Neal, W., 2024, Sand Mining on Our Coasts Leaves No Sand for
Sandcastles. Frontiers for Young Minds, v. 12, 1409741.
Rangel-Buitrago, N., Neal, W., and Nicoll, K., 2023, Is Earth in a New Time Period: The Plasticene?
Frontiers for Young Minds, v. 11, Article 1210561.
Thank You for Supporting the InterChange!
Thank you to those who completed our survey. We will be implementing those changes in our next issue released in Spring 2026!
Submit to the InterChange
Be Part of the Legacy, Submit to the InterChange
There are some InterCHANGES going on with our newsletter. We are looking for submissions around the following topics.
- MSO Region 12: Ottawa, Kent, & Muskegon Counties.
- K-12 STEM Lessons & Resources.
- GVSU Faculty & Departments Looking to Collaborate with K-12 teachers or other faculty & vice versa.
- GVSU Faculty, Department & Local Educator Professional Work Highlights.
Of course we are still accepting submissions for STEM articles & events!
2025-2026 Submission Deadlines:
- Fall 2025-September issue: September 3rd, 2025
- Winter 2026-January issue: December 14th 2025
- Spring 2026 -April issue: March 7th, 2026
- Summer 2026 -June issue: June 9th, 2026
- Fall 2026 - September issue: September 13th, 2026
Do you have an article you would like to submit to the InterChange?
Submit it here.
