Empowering Educators to Transform STEM Learning: Building STEM Identity, Confidence, and Future-Ready Skills in an AI-Powered World
In this episode of Science’s Cool Unplugged, host Dave Baker talks with Dr. Jennifer Berry, CEO of SmartLab, about what it takes to help more students truly connect with STEM. Dr. Berry reframes STEM identity as something deeper than career pathways. It is a student’s belief that they belong, that their ideas matter, and that they can master rigorous challenges.
The conversation highlights why real learning requires more than a single “wow” moment. Dr. Berry explains that higher-order thinking is built through multiple moments of discovery, especially when students are given space to experiment, struggle productively, fail safely, and try again. She shares how SmartLab’s ecosystem supports this kind of learning through hands-on, project-based experiences, strong facilitation, and real-world relevance.
The episode also explores AI in education and why students must learn to use AI as a tool with discernment. Dr. Berry and Dave discuss scaffolding from low-tech to high-tech solutions, building critical thinking skills, and ensuring students are prepared to lead in an AI-powered world rather than be led by it.
Table of Contents
- Why Some Students Light Up in STEM (and Others Tune Out)
- Redefining STEM Identity
- Belonging, confidence, and mastering challenge
- Belonging, confidence, and mastering challenge
- Multiple “Moments” Create Real Learning
- Why one exciting demo is not enough
- Productive Struggle and Learning Through Failure
- The role of iteration and persistence
- Inside the SmartLab Ecosystem
- Environment, curriculum/tools, facilitation, and partnerships
- Facilitators vs. Traditional Teaching
- Letting students lead the learning
- Making STEM Career-Connected
- Real-world relevance that sticks
- AI in Education
- Students as AI natives and the importance of discernment
- Scaffolding from Low-Tech to High-Tech
- Why both matter for deeper understanding
- A Call for Community and Business Support
- Time, expertise, and investment in student futures