Imagining the Future Day - Science ATL

Imagining the Future Day

Join us on Thursday, March 6, 2025
Inspiring STEM leaders of tomorrow!

I am a STEM Professional I am an educator

Imagining the Future Day celebrates local STEM leaders and inspires students across metro Atlanta to discover the possibilities in STEM. This volunteer is perfect opportunity to get students excited about what you do and encourage them to continue exploring their STEM learning at the 12th annual Atlanta Science Festival from March 8th to 22nd.

100 STEM pros will visit 100 classrooms across metro Atlanta in 1 day to:

Present in K-12 classrooms to share their passion for what they do.
Enable students underrepresented in STEM to discover a new world of career opportunities.
Help students across metro Atlanta to ‘imagine’ themselves as future leaders in STEM!

We partner with researchers, engineers, technicians, artists, graduate students, and anyone working in a STEM-realted career. Please view our STEM Pro FAQ for information on what to expect. See our Speaker Guide below for additional information including what to do before/during/after your visit, helpful tips, and a sample lesson.

STEM Pro Application Speaker Guide

Imagining the Future Day is the perfect opportunity to get your students excited about STEM and continue their learning by encouraging them to participate in any of the 100s of science festival events occurring throughout the city during the Atlanta Science Festival from March 8th to 22nd!

K-12 educators and administrators may request a STEM professional to visit your classroom or school.
Students learn directly from diverse STEM leaders across an array of industries around Atlanta.
Teachers work closely with STEM professionals to design an engaging lesson relevant to the STEM professional’s area of expertise

We partner with Educators at K-12 schools across metro Atlanta and priortize schools that are underserved in STEM programming. For more info, please review the Teachers and Schools FAQs and download our Teacher Guide below for a “chalk-full”of helpful tips!

Apply Here Download Teacher Guide

2024 STEM Pro & Teacher Impact

The difference you make in one day is immeasurable. We still tried.

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Teachers and Schools FAQs

What is Imagining the Future Day?

How do I learn about my STEM Pro match?

You will receive an email from Science ATL staff sharing your STEM Professional match, contact information, and important confirmation details.

With your help and communication prior to the visit, STEM professionals can meet your expectations to the best of their abilities. It is vital that you contact the STEM professional ahead of time to discuss lesson planning, scheduling, on-site logistics, etc.

What can I expect from the STEM professional’s classroom visit?

STEM professionals are asked to prepare a 30-minute to 1-hour long lesson plan that explores the questions/problems they are addressing in their work and the challenges facing the future of their field, leaving additional time for Q&A or other interactions. Some will also have a demo or hands-on activity prepared. Please understand that most STEM professionals are not trained educators. They are coming to your classroom to share their experiences in the STEM workforce and to show how students’ STEM learning in class could be applied in the real world. We reccommend reviewing the STEM Pro Speaker Guide for a better understanding about the expectations set for STEM pro classroom visits.

Visits are expected to be in-person. However, you are welcome to arrange a virtual presentation as long as you and your STEM pro are in agreeement. We recommed testing your virtual platform with your STEM Pro partner in advance.

What if I cannot schedule the visit on the designated date?

How are teacher and STEM pro matches made?

Several factors are evaluated including content alignment, travel time, grade level, the Child-Well Being rating of the school’s zip code, and application date. Earlier submissions have a higher probability of matching. Please note, we are not able to gurantee a STEM professional will be available to present in your classroom due to the aforementioned constraints.

*COBB COUNTY EDUCATORS: In order to particpate, please alert your district to confirm a STEM professional is permitted to visit your classroom. Due to county-wide policy, we may not be able to coordinate a STEM Pro classroom visit prior to receiving approval at the district level.

I teach multiple classes. Can I have the speaker come to every class?

STEM Professionals FAQs

What am I expected to do during my classroom visit?

Your visit is meant to get students excited about the work that you do and gain insight about a career in your field. We recommend developing a presentation about your career, the questions/problems you are tackling now, and the challenges facing the future of your field and encourage you to be as interactive as possible.

It is vital that you work with your partner teacher to develop a suitable lesson plan, understand the students’ prior knowledge, and expected learning outcomes. Don’t forget to download our Speaker Guide above as a helpful resource!

When should I schedule my visit?

Where are schools located?

What grade levels are participating?

What is the time commitment?

We suggest preparing a thirty minute talk/activity, leaving plenty of time for questions and interactions with students. However, please discuss these details with your matched teacher.

Some schools are able to bring multiple classes together to hear a single presentation, but many teachers work with more than one class throughout the day and would be very grateful to have STEM professionals talk with several consecutive classes of students. Ultimately, it is up to you and the teacher to work out the details.