Spilka to Serve On STEM Panel

The following is a press release issued by the Office of State Sen. Karen Spilka:

State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, will be a panelist at the "Developing a Statewide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Plan Learning Lab" hosted by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.

The lab will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

Spilka was selected as a member of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council and the Goddard Council to participate in the Massachusetts STEM Panel to discuss the Commonwealth's approach to develop and implement a statewide STEM plan. Spilka will join two other members of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, Victoria Grisanti and James Brosnan. David Cedrone, Associate Commissioner for Economic and Workforce Development and the Executive Director of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council will moderate the panel.

The panel will begin after opening remarks from Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and Secretary of Education Paul Reville.

Since joining the legislature in 2001, Spilka has been an advocate for advancing STEM education and initatives throughout the Commonwealth. The budget passed by the legislature for Fiscal Year 2012 includes Spilka's amendment for $500,000 for the STEM pipeline fund.

Spilka is looking forward to being a part of this important event which will host 10 state teams, including Massachusetts, and have representatives from 10 states to discuss the importance of STEM education and the best practices identified for creating statewide plans for STEM education.

The Massachusetts STEM Panel will be the first panel of the learning lab, which will consist of a full day of meetings, presentations and panels.