Name: Integrating FIRST-Style Learning in a Formal Curriculum with Learning Pathways
Start: 2025-05-17T11:00:00-0400
End: 2025-05-17T11:45:00-0400

Welcome to the GEARED UP: Mentor Conference, where innovation meets inspiration!

Join us on May 17, 2025, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Kossiakoff Center, for a day filled with knowledge-sharing, networking, and empowerment.

We want to hear from you! What topics are most important and critical for you? What topics can you share with the community? Help us program and plan the 2025 conference to be the most impactful yet.

This conference is proudly presented by Aramco America and aims to equip mentors with the tools and insights needed to effectively guide an increasingly diverse generation of students.

Saturday May 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT

Curriculum Room

How can the excitement and creativity of FIRST robotics translate into structured classroom learning? In this session, Lori Birch shares how to integrate FIRST-style project-based learning into formal education settings using clear, scalable learning pathways.

Explore how hands-on challenges, iterative design thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem solving can align with academic standards while keeping the spirit of discovery alive. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, or mentor supporting a school partnership, you'll leave with concrete ideas to build meaningful STEM learning experiences that connect the classroom to the competition field—and beyond.

Speakers