Symposium Statistics:
- 100+ Presentations
- 140+ Presenters
- 90+ Institutions
- 40+ Countries
20+ Exhibitors at our STEM Education Village!
Quick Links
Check out our Pulse Media Channel for videos of interviews with Symposium attendees as well as several pre-event teaser videos by organizations who presented at the event.
See our Symposium Recap eNews for event highlights!
This was the first ever global STEM education event!
Science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M.) education should be accessible to learners — wherever they are located and regardless of their socio-economic status.
This year’s Symposium, our 13th annual, focused on how S.T.E.M. education is and can reach the next generation of learners in all settings – including space ships! This was the first global STEM education event bringing together stakeholders from developed and developing countries.
As the largest global convenor of development and donor agencies investing in EdTech in developing countries, the mEducation Alliance is known for its highly participatory events. Our Symposia attract HQ and field representatives from Alliance member institutions along with other donors, government policymakers, practitioners, investors, non-profit and private organizations, and researchers.
As with our prior Symposia, this year’s event gathered thought-leaders from both developed and developing countries to network and share experiences about appropriate and sustainable educational (tech and non-tech) S.T.E.M. interventions.
The event featured an amazing line-up of global presenters highlighting impactful S.T.E.M. projects, particularly those found in and which can be replicated and/or scaled in low-resource, formal and informal educational settings at the primary/elementary and secondary/high school instructional levels.
To encourage space for meaningful dialogue, we only invite 250-300 individuals to our annual Symposia. Participation at the general Symposia, Alliance Member Day, and co-hosted workshops at different venues are invite-only.
Invitees registered, and paid a registration fee (e.g., US$500 general registrant/presenter and discount for developing country participants.)
General Symposium Event (September 11-13) – Location: Mason Square, George Mason University’s Arlington, Virginia (VA) location, and future site of their new Fuse Building which is designed for innovation, programming, partnerships, and global and community engagement. Mason Square is conveniently located just between the Rosslyn-Ballston Arlington, VA corridor and a few metro stops from downtown D.C.
Alliance Member Day (September 14th) – Location: World Bank offices, Washington, D.C. Invite-only for Alliance Members and event sponsors.
Event formats included:
- Thought-provoking and engaging presentations
- Gallery walks designed to maximize networking and knowledge exchange
- STEM Education Village with lots of hands-on booths — and food!
- Play spaces for tech and non-tech STEM games
- Research spotlight sessions
- Facilitated dialogues with government and donor representatives from (e.g. mED Alliance members, including the United States and other countries) funding and/or supporting S.T.E.M. education initiatives
- STEM. game giveaways!
- Featured sessions hosted by mEducation Alliance members
- Workshops, including those organized by representatives of mEducation Alliance-supported communities of practice such as Literacy League, Math Power!, Educational Volunteers, and Social and Behaviour Change for Education. (For more information about these communities, please contact the mEducation Alliance.)
Event Tracks
As a small non-profit, the mEducation Alliance relies on the financial support from individuals and organizations to underwrite our work throughout the year. We invited those interested to consider supporting the Alliance, including through Symposia sponsorship opportunities. Event and track sponsorship opportunities here.
Track Sponsorship
Track sponsors, were engaged with us in overall event planning. We helped them attract presenters and maximize sponsored track visibility via various event formats. We also provided organizations with a variety of sponsor recognition and unique networking opportunities.
Sponsors were invited to adopt one of the following 2023 Symposium Event Tracks:
- Art (Do not forget the A in S.T.E.A.M.)
- Climate Education
- Digital Literacy
- EdTech STEM Research
- Edutainment Media
- Emerging Technologies and their Impact
- #InspirationSTEM is Girl Powered!
- Making STEM Accessible (equity, diversity, learners with disabilities, challenging educational environments)
- Math Education
- Peace Engineering
- Science Education
- The Global Science of S.T.E.M. Learning
- STEM Play (tech and non-tech interventions)
- STEM Empowered Educators
- STEM in Challenging Education Environments
- STEM Stories – Access to and Content Creation (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy)
- Youth as Digital Champions and STEMpreneurs
Previous Symposia
mEducation Alliance Member Day and Co-hosted Workshops - September 14th
In collaboration with the World Bank and held at their D.C. offices, the Alliance co-hosted a day-long series of networking and knowledge exchange events with its members and invited guests on how to identify, share, replicate, scale, and pay for promising STEM teacher training and instruction, particularly in low-resource developing country context.
If you are interested in becoming an Alliance member, please visit our mEducation Alliance Member web page using the button below.
The All Children Reading EdTech Expo occurred during this year's Symposium - September 12th
An EdTech Expo by All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) took place during this year’s mEducation Alliance Symposium. ACR GCD, a partnership between USAID, World Vision and the Australian Government, was culminating a 12-year initiative to advance EdTech to improve reading outcomes for children worldwide, including children with disabilities. Through their collaborative efforts, they’ve powered the development of innovative EdTech solutions and revolutionized early grade reading in low-resource contexts.
The Expo, held on the afternoon of September 12, showcased the tangible impact of those efforts, introduced trailblazing EdTech solutions, and shared the latest research and resources to support education officers, implementers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in their understanding and use of EdTech to advance equitable and inclusive early grade reading efforts.
This was a transformative conversation on how education technology can further help all children read. All registered Symposium attendees were invited to attend the EdTech Expo.
Keynote Speakers!
September 11th – Kick-off Plenary
Christian Dorsey; Chair – Arlington County Board
Mr. Dorsey serves as the County Board liaison to the Planning Commission, Public Facilities Review Committee, Industrial Development Authority, Community Oversight Board, the Human Rights Commission, and the Arlington County Fair Board.
Outside of public service, he engages as a policy and communications consultant supporting progressive organizations in realizing their missions. He has has previously served as executive director of The Reading Connection, promoting literacy development for children facing housing insecurity.
Read more about Mr. Dorsey’s work and public engagement here.
September 11th – Kick-off Plenary
Dr. Alpaslan Özerdem; Dean – Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and a Professor of peace and conflict studies
Dr. Özerdem specializes in conflict resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, with over 20 years of field research experience in more than 15 countries. He has undertaken numerous research projects funded by the UK’s Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC); British Academy, US Institute of Peace, and various US and European Union funding schemes.
He has also taken an active role in the initiation and management of several advisory and applied research projects for a wide range of national and international organizations such as the United Nations and international NGOs.
Read more about Dr. Özerdem’s work here.
September 12th – Opening Plenary
Dr. James Moore III; Assistant Director for the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) – National Science Foundation
Dr. Moore serves as the senior leader for EDU, which supports science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects focusing on K-12 education, undergraduate and graduate education, workforce and human resource development, and learning in formal and informal settings.
He has previously served as a program director for Broadening Participation in Engineering in the Directorate for Engineering at NSF, and, during that time, he was one of the program directors who helped launch the highly acclaimed, cross-directorate, NSF INCLUDES, a $100 million plus national broadening participation in STEM initiative.
Read more about Dr. Moore’s work here.
September 13th – Opening Plenary
David Etzwiler; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Siemens Foundation
Mr. Etzwiler has been CEO of the Siemens Foundation since 2013. Under his leadership, the foundation has focused on: workforce development, health disparities, and sustainability. He has spent much of his career at the intersection of business, government, and philanthropy, including at Medtronic, Inc./ the Medtronic Foundation. Prior he practiced law, with a focus on non-profit management. He has been an active member of numerous boards, e.g. the National Council on Foundations as a chair of the Corporate & Global Philanthropy Committees.
Read more about Mr. Etzwiler’s work here.
September 13th – Opening Plenary
Dr. Nina Smidt; CEO and Spokesperson of the Board of Directors – Siemens Stiftung
Dr. Smidt is entrusted with the overall management of the Education, Arts & Culture and Social Entrepreneurship work areas, as well as Communications. She has 20 years of international experience in leading educational institutions and foundations, and has been leading the foundation’s strategic realignment across the three thematic areas of “Access to Essential Services,” “Connected Societies,” and “Climate & Sustainability.”
Read more about Dr. Smidt’s work here.
September 13th – Opening Plenary
Juan Carlos Andrade Guevara; Head of Foundational Knowledge Policy, Veracruz State Secretary of Education, Mexico
Mr. Guevara is the state-wide Coordinator of the Policy for Fundamental Learning in the Undersecretary of Basic Education of the State of Veracruz, carried out with the support of Natura Foundation and the UNESCO Office in Mexico.
He is a Biologist, who graduated from the Universidad Veracruzana, with a specialty in Diagnosis and Environmental Management. His professional experience is linked to teacher training and development of educational materials for teaching science and STEM disciplines in Basic Education. He has taught teacher training courses for Science Teaching in the USA, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Read more about Mr. Guevara’s work here.
September 13th – Closing Plenary & Opening of STEM Education Village
Mike Kincaid; Associate Administrator – NASA’s Office of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Engagement (OSTEM)
Mr. Kincaid oversees strategic direction and leadership of NASA’s OSTEM, which connects students to NASA’s missions. OSTEM engages America’s educators, students, and institutions in these unique missions, contributing to NASA’s mission success, as well as the nation’s overall STEM education ecosystem.
He chairs NASA’s STEM Engagement Council, which integrates, oversees, and assesses NASA’s agencywide STEM engagement functions and activities. Kincaid is also co-chair of Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM), a multiagency committee focused on coordinating and enhancing STEM education efforts across the federal government.
Read more about his work here.
September 13th – Closing Plenary & Opening of STEM Education Village
Dr. Monique Chism; Under Secretary for Education – Smithsonian Institution
As Under Secretary, Dr. Chism oversees the Institution’s educational priorities. As a former teacher, state administrator, and federal policymaker, she focuses on equity and systems change.
Previously, she was the vice president for education policy and strategic initiatives at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Chism created a 35-state coalition to respond to educators’ distance learning needs and strategize school reopenings.
Before AIR, Dr. Chism worked at the U.S. Department of Education from 2013 to 2017. Her positions spanned the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs, the Office of State Support, and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Read more about Dr. Chism’s background here.
Special Sponsorship Opportunity: Support the 2023 Math Power! Prize
As we did during our 2022 Symposium, the mEducation Alliance would like to feature winners of the 2023 Math Power! Prize at the 2023 event. This is dependent upon our attracting sponsors for this year’s competition.
The Math Power! Prize, part of our suite of Math Power! activities, is designed to draw attention to the importance of mathematics and numeracy skills and to publicly recognize the amazing work of exceptional organizations working in their communities and globally to promote the joy of math. Prior to our 2022 award, there did not exist a dedicated prize for this type of global recognition.
For more information, please visit our Math Power Prize! page.
As we did during our 2022 Symposium, the mEducation Alliance would like to feature winners of the 2023 Math Power! Prize at the 2023 event. This is dependent upon our attracting sponsors for this year’s competition.
The Math Power! Prize, part of our suite of Math Power! activities, is designed to draw attention to the importance of mathematics and numeracy skills and to publicly recognize the amazing work of exceptional organizations working in their communities and globally to promote the joy of math. Prior to our 2022 award, there did not exist a dedicated prize for this type of global recognition.
For more information, please visit our Math Power Prize! page.
