Vivify in the News!
August 29. 2019
Excerpt: “The program's curriculum was created by Vivify STEM — a local small business founded by former female engineers Claire Meschkat and Natasha Wilkerson, who is the STEM project director at Communities in Schools of San Antonio — with input and guidance from professionals and engineers from Southwest Research Institute, NASA and an independent review by Steuck & Associates.“
June 20, 2019
Excerpt: “Students involved in the New Worlds program will experience Vivify’s “Launchpad” curriculum that launches students into the world of STEM. Led by a fictional astronaut, Alex. Launchpad transforms students into a team of astronauts on a space adventure. Students work in teams to launch rockets, land on another planet, collect data, conduct experiments and solve problems. Vivify’s curriculum engages youth with an exciting storyline while promoting science and engineering careers with real-world connections.
Through the grant, Vivify is excited to partner with NASA Johnson Space Center to integrate real space technologies into the Launchpad curriculum. The New Worlds program will also connect NASA engineers and scientists as mentors to guide students through the curriculum.”
July 2, 2019
Excerpt: “When Natasha Wilkerson and Claire Meschkat met as aerospace engineering undergraduate students at Texas A&M University, they found a shared passion for education and giving back. After graduation and starting careers in industry, that passion brought them back together to form Vivify STEM, a company devoted to providing quality resources for educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Now Vivify is teaming up with NASA to promote STEM learning and inspire the next generation of explorers with a NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) grant.”
May 4, 2018
Excerpt: “In true aviator fashion, they realized that the journey had been just as important as the destination. So, advised by their own experiences in the aerospace industry, they set out to reengineer the way that we approach STEM education. The result is Vivify STEM, which equips teachers with resources that help bring STEM education—and STEM careers—to life.”
“With the support of a team of teachers and STEM mentors, we have launched rockets, visited mission control at NASA, sent weather balloons to collect data at 100,000 feet, and designed human colonies on the Moon and Mars. We are now an integral part of the district’s STEM pipeline toward a STEM Early College High School, and we have inspired school-wide STEM Family Nights at every elementary and middle school campus. I started Space Club because of my educational background, but I did not expect the awesome impact that launching a rocket and imagining a colony on Mars can have on a student's confidence and dreams.”
Excerpt: “STEM fields cover a broad range of jobs that are critical for the future workforce and livelihood of our world. People tend to think of STEM fields as being overly technical or specialized, but it is really about training up a generation of critical thinkers and problem solvers. Issues such as the energy crisis, climate change, malnourishment, and hunger are increasing in urgency. STEM can equip today’s children to potentially solve these problems in the future.”