The leaders behind Science of Sport use the familiarity of athletics to make STEM education more approachable and inclusive to all learners. The nonprofit organization partners with professional sports teams to provide exciting hands-on, minds-on learning experiences for elementary and middle school students across the county, creates interdisciplinary programming that translates the concepts of sports into an understanding of the underlying science and mathematics, and hosts training events for teachers to help bring more diverse lesson plans and STEM learning into classrooms.

To date, Science of Sport has created over 100 lesson plans, handed out 20,000 STEM kits, and trained over 6,000 teachers, which has impacted more than 600,000 students.

Science of Sport Executive Director Daren Heaton oversees all operations and programming and has worked with over 35 professional sports teams to deliver impactful education programs (MLB, NBA, MLS, NFL, and College Conferences). Heaton previously worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Manager of Education Initiatives, where he managed all education programs in the community through the Sales Department, and helped start the D-backs Science of Baseball program. His additional affiliations to professional sports teams include the Los Angeles Galaxy from 2009 to 2011 where he was a Group Sales Account Executive

Connect with The Science of Sport and Daren:

• Website: sciencesport.org
• Find the lesson plans: sciencesport.org/lessons
• Email Daren: daren@sciencesport.org
• Twitter/X: @ScienceofSport_
• YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC-knCxjr7xKJohaSW-U2LQQ
• Facebook: @scienceofsportofficial
• Instagram: @scienceofsport__

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

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As The Franklin Institute’s Senior Vice President of Science and Education, Dr. Darryl N. Williams oversees all aspects of the science and educational programming at the heart of the Institute’s efforts to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology.

Dr. Williams earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Hampton University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. After earning his doctorate, he served as a NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in pediatric cardiology research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also served as a Dean at Tufts University's School of Engineering, Dr. Williams joined the Institute from Tufts University’s School of Engineering as well as four years with the National Science Foundation, managing a range of federal programs and research focused on STEM teaching and learning, formal and informal learning environments, and workforce development.

With more than a decade of experience in everything from clinical research to workforce development, Dr. Williams brings not only a wealth of knowledge on science and technology learning to The Franklin Institute, but also a vibrantly interdisciplinary perspective.

Two important Franklin Institute programs discussed are the PACTS (Partnership for Achieving Careers in Tech & Science) program, which is a middle school program that partners with STEM professionals for middle school students to understand the processes of science, and STEM Scholars, which helps high school students with college and career prep, ACT tutoring, college essays, scholarships, paid internships, and more.

Connect with The Franklin Institute and Darryl:

• Website: fi.edu
• Check out the Franklin Institute Award winners
• Twitter/X: @thefranklin
• Instagram: @franklininstitute
• Darryl's Twitter/X: @dnwilli

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the Show.

Adam Todd is an elementary Media Arts teacher in New York City Public Schools. He turned his experiences in the media industry into practical opportunities for his students to create the daily "Bee TV" news at his school. His students have even appeared on local news in NYC! Check out some of their work & appearances on their YouTube Channel.

Adam also started the Classroom Dynamics podcast to help educators "dive into powerful professional development insights designed to cultivate a vibrant 21st-century classroom environment." In April of 2024, the podcast focuses on STEM & STEAM experts sharing ideas and experiences.
Learn more by following the links below or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Connect with Adam:

• Website: classroomdynamics.wixsite.com/podcast
• Twitter/X: @classdynamics

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the Show.