Edmonds Community College President Jean Hernandez presented at the 2015 U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference on June 29 in San Diego.

Hernandez presented during the session, “Community Colleges: STEM’s Secret Weapon,” alongside Jerome S. Parker, president of Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania.

The theme of the conference was, “Teach, Inspire, Hire: Discovering and Growing America’s Diverse Talent Pool,” with a special emphasis on helping underrepresented populations and underserved communities.

Dr. Hernandez spoke on the following points:

• the Smarter Balance Assessment and the partnership with K-12 on the common core state standards, the value of the partnership, and the importance of preparing K-12 students for STEM educational/career opportunities;

• STEM initiatives such as modular math courses, streamlining Edmonds Community College’s pre-college pathways, Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA), Relationships in Science Education (RiSE);

• opportunities to seek federal grants to assist in developing strong curriculum and further partnerships, and

• the work Edmonds Community College has done focusing on students, and having excellent faculty and staff who make students a priority.

“Edmonds CC recognizes the value of community partnerships with K-12, other colleges and universities, and industry in creating a strong, viable STEM network in Snohomish County,” Hernandez said. “We are only as strong as the network we create!”