LBTU contributes to the development of STEM education in an international project
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education is becoming increasingly important in a rapidly changing job market and in an age of technological advancement. It develops creativity, logical thinking and the ability to solve complex problems, while preparing young people for future professions and creating innovations. However, according to data from the Latvian University of Biosciences and Technologies (LBTU), there is still a lack of gender balance in STEM fields - only 12% of students at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (IITF) are girls, a similar situation can be observed elsewhere in Europe.
Ozolnieki Secondary School, together with Latvia University of Biosciences and Technologies (LBTU) and four educational institutions from Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Greece, has started the implementation of the cooperation partnership project of the Erasmus+ programme in order to expand the schools’ educational offer in the field of STEM, especially in programming, technology and engineering, as well as to make STEM fields more attractive to girls.
The goal of the launched project "Diversifying the STEM Ecosystem" is to improve the capacity of schools in diversifying and digitizing the STEM offer, to select innovative practices and approaches to interest teenagers, especially girls, in learning STEM subjects, to create and implement a strategy for the development of the STEM ecosystem.
Until December 31st, 2026, it is planned to implement a project within the framework of which five schools in different countries will develop and implement action plans for educating students about career opportunities in the STEM field in an attractive and engaging way. In cooperation with LBTU, two interest education programmes will be developed and implemented in grades 5-9. for pupils of classes: one – for pupils of Ozolnieki Secondary School, the other – for pupils of Tulliporti School in Finland. In addition, students will be able to participate in international engineering training, where part of the classes will be held online, but face-to-face sessions in Lithuania and Poland.
At the beginning of November the first face-to-face meeting of the Erasmus+ programme project was held in the Finnish city of Joensuu, in which all partners participated: Ozolnieku Secondary School (Latvia), Latvian University of Biosciences and Technologies (Latvia), Panevėžys Education Center (Lithuania), 3rd Zlotorija Primary School named after Henrik Brodatego (Poland), University of Eastern Finland High School (Finland) and Xanthi High School (Greece). LBTU was represented by the project manager, the leading researcher of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (IITF) Natalia Sergeeva and the researcher Yekaterina Smirnova.
During the meeting the participants visited the University of Eastern Finland and the LUMA center, getting to know the Finnish education system and the latest learning approaches and also went to the Koli National Park to learn about nature exploration methods in STEM education. At the end of the meeting, the development of a risk management plan was started, which will be supplemented and improved during the course of the project.
"At the end of the meeting, each project participant presented his institution and area of responsibility. The LBTU team was entrusted with preparing the initial version of the risk management plan, which is expected to be improved during the entire project. In talks with colleagues from other schools, the list of risks was supplemented, and possible solution options were also discussed. " says Natalija Sergeeva the project manager.
The next project meeting is planned in April 2025 at LBTU in Jelgava. During the meeting will be organized training for STEM teachers. These tutorials will cover topics based on previous teacher surveys to ensure relevant and useful learning content. The project is an important step in strengthening STEM education, promoting the introduction of new, innovative teaching methods in schools in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe.