Speaker at podium in front of photo and name Kamau Bobb
How will AI reshape the future of learning? Kamau Bobb challenges #AACUSTEM attendees to rethink long-standing assumptions about teaching, assessment, and how students demonstrate knowledge. Could this be the “death of the term paper?”
Speaker at podium in front of screen with text: AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference. Closing keynote presentation, Kamau Bobb
“There are a lot of things you can do without money,” Kamau Bobb, #AACUSTEM closing keynote speaker, reminded the audience. “But there are some things you cannot do without conviction.”
Speaker at podium in front of screen with photo and name Kamau Bobb
#AACUSTEM closing keynote speaker, Kamau Bobb, urged educators to think deeply about power—who has access to STEM education, who benefits from it, and how institutions respond to pressures shaping higher education.
Stage background with photo and name of speaker Kamau Bobb
#AACUSTEM closing keynote speaker Kamau Bobb frames his address around “250 years of friction,” tracing how US history has shaped access to education and opportunity.
Robin S. Broughton and Isaac Agbeshie-Noye sitting in chairs angled toward each other talking into microphones
#AACUSTEM mid-conference keynote speakers Robin S. Broughton and Isaac Agbeshie-Noye close by asking participants to decide one thing they want to declare for themselves in how they show up in the workplace and one thing they can do to make that desire real.
Scientific communities are often built around the discipline, not the individuals. Mid-conference keynote speaker Isaac Agbeshie-Noye challenges #AACUSTEM participants to think about who people are outside of the lab and to center feelings of belonging and mattering.
Speaker David Asai stands in front of a screen with "Joy" in large text and the image of a publication on the right
In a time of cultural and political pressure on science and education, David Asai left #AACUSTEM attendees with a powerful reminder: “Our joy is our protest.”
Centering curiosity, discovery, and community in STEM learning may be one of the most powerful acts of resistance educators can take.
“Inclusive excellence is a stance. It is a process.” For #AACUSTEM keynote speaker, David Asai, building inclusive STEM learning environments is not a single initiative but an ongoing commitment that must shape classrooms, departments, and institutional culture.
#AACUSTEM opening keynote speaker, David Asai, warned against the “zero-sum thinking” that has long shaped STEM education.
When competition is overvalued, grading is curved, and introductory courses act as gatekeepers, students can receive a powerful message about who belongs and who does not.
Speaker David Asai stands in front of a screen that says personal agency, democracy, community
What will it take to transform undergraduate STEM education?
During the opening keynote at #AACUSTEM, David Asai challenged educators to rethink the culture of STEM learning, especially the role of introductory courses in shaping who stays in STEM and who leaves.
What does it take to sustain STEM reform across systems? Kamau Bobb will close the AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference, drawing on experience across higher education, industry, & public policy. Attend online from March 18 to 20. There's still time to register: aacu.org/stem #AACUSTEM
How do identity, belonging, and scientific discovery shape STEM education today? David Asai explores this and more during his opening keynote address at the AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference on March 18. Register: aacu.org/stem #AACUSTEM
Designed for those doing the work of #STEM reform, the AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference offers plenary sessions, concurrent presentations, workshops, and discussions that support reflection, collaboration, and engagement. Register now: aacu.org/stem #AACUSTEM
The AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference brings together faculty, administrators, researchers, and policy leaders to engage pressing issues shaping undergraduate #STEM education. Join us online March 18–20. Details: aacu.org/stem #AACUSTEM
If you are navigating uncertainty in undergraduate #STEM education, the AAC&U Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference offers space to examine challenges, learn from peers, and engage the unfinished work of reform. Join us online March 18–20: aacu.org/stem #AACUSTEM
AAC&U is accepting late-breaking proposals for #AACUSTEM. Submit a proposal that will empower faculty, staff, and administrators to critically question, explore, and examine some of the most vexing challenges of STEM higher education reform. Details: aacu.org/stem
This Ain’t Over: Not Done. Not Settling. Not Stopping. There is still time to add your voice to the 2026 Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference. Submit a late-breaking proposal by January 6 for your chance to help shape the conference program. Details: aacu.org/stem #AACUSTEM
Laura Muller, Ph.D., and Erica Gerace, Ph.D., stand together in front of an AAC&U conference photo backdrop.
Erica Gerace, Ph.D., stands to the right side of her poster. The poster is titled, "Virtual Cancer Genomics Short Course for Undergraduates Increases Interest in Science and Clarifies Career Direction."
Laura Muller, Ph.D., stands talking with session participants seated at a circular table.
We enjoyed interacting with colleagues and presenting research at American Association of Colleges & Universities and Project Kaleidoscope's Transforming #STEM Higher Education Conference recently! 🤩
Find more information on @jacksonlab.bsky.social's programs at www.jax.org/stem.
#AACUSTEM #SciEd
