At one of more than 30 exhibits displayed at the conference, Congressman Chaka Fattah (right) and NSF Director Subra Suresh (middle), join Andrew Williams (left), the director of Humanoid Engineering and Robot Systems (HERS) Lab at Spelman College, a historically black, all-women's college in Atlanta, Ga. Williams is holding a robot that a team of students ("Spelbots")program and operate, taking part in international robotics competitions. Fattah and Suresh are using an iPad to view a video about the SpelBots from NSF's "Science Nation" series.

Credit: National Science Foundation

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) acknowledged the work of NSF in coming to grips with educating the next generation of scientists and engineers. Fattah is Ranking Member to the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS).

Credit: National Science Foundation

Carl Wieman, Associate Director for Science, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy talks about a new paradigm for STEM education. Research on learning and teaching has led to an understanding of how to engage students in STEM learning through challenging activities, with teachers working more as mental coaches than lecturers.

Credit: National Science Foundation

Douglas Jerolmack, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, uses a stream table to teach kids how water moves over a landscape and forms a river.

Credit: National Science Foundation

NSF Deputy Director Cora Marrett (second from left), NSF assistant director for Education and Human Resources (EHR) Joan Ferrini-Mundy (right) and Dahlia Sokolov of the House Committee on Science & Technology staff interact with Jaemi HUBO, a humanoid robot at the recent "STEM Smart: Lessons Learned from Successful Schools" symposium and exhibition held at Drexel University.

Credit: National Science Foundation