STEM Summer Institute 2026

Generative AI is quickly becoming a practical classroom tool—not as a replacement for educators, but as a time-saving thought partner. This session focuses on how intentional prompting can help teachers work smarter, reduce administrative load, and reclaim time for instruction and student connection. Participants will learn how well-crafted prompts can support everyday tasks such as lesson planning, differentiating instruction, creating formative assessments, drafting feedback, and communicating with families—while maintaining professional judgment and instructional integrity.

Designed for educators at a beginner to developing level, this session emphasizes clarity, efficiency, and alignment to classroom goals rather than technical complexity. Attendees will explore prompt structures that produce usable, classroom-ready outputs and practice refining prompts to improve accuracy and relevance. The session will also address guardrails for responsible use, including data privacy, bias awareness, and when human expertise must remain central.

Participants will leave with practical prompt examples, a reusable prompting framework, and a clearer understanding of how generative AI can streamline workflows—allowing educators to focus their energy where it matters most: student learning.

This session explores mathematics as the foundational language that powers all STEM disciplines, with a strong emphasis on numeracy, mental math, and independent problem-solving. Participants will examine how gaps in basic arithmetic can limit student success in science, technology, and engineering, even when advanced tools are available. Drawing from the AI Math Club at Hardin High School, the session highlights practical strategies for strengthening foundational skills without reliance on apps or calculators.
The presentation also showcases how high school students can be developed as peer educators who both deepen their own understanding and provide meaningful academic support to younger learners. By treating mathematics as something students must understand, communicate, and teach, the program fosters confidence, leadership, and service.
Key takeaways include strategies for building numeracy, promoting independent thinking, and creating a sustainable culture where mathematics truly serves as the language of STEM.

Place-based environmental education projects for upper elementary students showing examples of how to weave together Next Generation Science Standards with the rich cultural heritage of Montana’s tribes through Indian Education for All initiatives. Beginning with an exploration of Yellowstone’s extremophiles, where students analyze energy flow and chemosynthesis while honoring the traditional stewardship and sacred connections of the Crow and Shoshone people to this unique landscape. Building on traditional native knowledge from a variety of environments, students learn how resources of the land were used for survival. The theme of environmental mastery travels through the biomes; tundra, prairie, desert, and deciduous forest, highlighting Indigenous engineering, investigations into pH natural chemistry, long-term observation to translate temperature data into a physical tapestry of environmental change and finally, the "Prairie’s Renewal" project demonstrating the intentional use of cultural burning by Plains tribes as a sophisticated tool for ecosystem management and nutrient cycling. Collectively, each project emphasizes that science is deeply embedded in the history of the land, encouraging students to develop a profound sense of stewardship by combining modern scientific inquiry with the enduring wisdom of Indigenous perspectives.

Looking for ways to integrate data science skills into your classroom but not sure where to start - or need new resources to add to your existing toolkit? In this hands-on session, educators will discover a curated selection of practical, classroom-ready resources designed to bring engaging data science experiences to K-12 students. We’ll introduce three distinct sets of tools and materials, each focused on fostering high-level data science skills such as critical thinking, data analysis, and ethical reasoning. These resources are intentionally designed to be adaptable across multiple subject areas, empowering teachers to seamlessly integrate data science into their existing curricula. Whether you teach math, science, social studies, or language arts, you’ll leave the session with actionable strategies and ready-to-use materials that you can implement in your classroom the very next day.

We will be introducing Makey Makey to teachers and exploring how they can help students build their own controllers with everyday materials like playdoh, coins, graphite pencils, even their own body! The kits will help students discover the difference between conductive and non-conductive materials, invent sensors, and use their imagination to control any computer program. This will deepen their knowledge of circuits and coding without having to learn a computer language. These kits provide a gateway for students with a proclivity for arts to incorporate electronics into their creative endeavors. Makey Makey bridges the gap between the physical world and your computer, allowing for hands-on creative tech projects.