Changing the Game: How Educational Competitions Inspire and Engage Students
Competition is a fundamental part of life. Humanity has embraced competitions in nearly all aspects of society; however, the education system continues to restrict how competitions can be used in schools despite strong evidence to their impact on student outcomes. This session explores how STEM competitions - particularly related to aerospace fields - can be incredibly powerful for education, what we can do to help engage students in these programs, and why we need to do so. Join us for a deep dive into the best-practices in STEM competitions and an invigorating discussion about how to uses these programs to inspire and motivate students of all ages.
Joshua Neubert is the founder and CEO of the Institute of Competition Sciences. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Planetary Science and has a life-long interest in space exploration. He uses the power of competitions to advance science, technology, and education. In 2012, he launched the Institute of Competition Sciences to help others do the same. As the CEO of ICS, Mr. Neubert has launched numerous STEM education competitions including the Plant the Moon Challenge, Space Station Innovation Challenge, Build the Moon Challenge and Space Food Design Challenge. He was awarded the 2024 NASA Space Technology Catalyst Award and the Society of Actuaries President's Award for his innovative work developing high-impact educational competitions. Mr. Neubert has been instrumental in developing STEM curricula reaching hundreds of thousands of students. He has been a National Science Foundation Principal Investigator, and has organized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics policy workshops with the NIH, HHS, NSF, NASA, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
