Dayton, Ohio

By instilling a love for learning, nurturing creativity, and fostering a deep understanding of STEM principles, the Dayton Regional STEM Center (DRSC) strives to empower individuals to shape a brighter and more sustainable future for our region and beyond. As the regional hub lead, DRSC works to create a thriving community that addresses the power of STEM to address complex challenges, drive economic growth, and improve the quality of life for all.

Logic Model

Network Administrator

Hub Lead Activities

Convene Dayton, Ohio (DO) STEM ecosystem meetings
Conduct regional asset mapping

Hub Region Near-Term Outcomes

Increase in meeting attendance by DSEC partners, teachers, and students
Increase in the number of assets on the regional asset map from Base Period Year 1 to Base Period Year 2

Catalyst

Hub Lead Activities

Provide access to STEM opportunities

Hub Region Near-Term Outcomes

Increase in the number and type of DSEC programs offered within the region

Place-Based Local STEM Leader

Hub Lead Activities

Align STEM education programming with local priorities

Hub Region Near-Term Outcomes

Alignment of STEM education programs to community needs

Career-Connected Pathways Builder

Hub Lead Activities

Build partnerships with local companies for internships, mentorships, and work-based learning
Support STEM curriculum alignment to defense related career pathways
Create student-facing resources

Hub Region Near-Term Outcomes

Increase in the number of partnerships for internships, mentorships, and work-based learning experiences

Regional Outcomes

Network Administrator

Outcome	Evidence
Increase in ecosystem meeting attendance by DSEC partners, teachers, and students	From the first year to the second year of Base Period, the number of teachers attending ecosystem meetings increased from 58 to 73 for teachers and from 14-25 for students. Two DSEC partners attended ecosystem convenings across both years. In order to increase attendance, the Hub Lead intentionally invited teachers and students to participate, created leadership roles for them, and created opportunities for them to contribute to meetings.
Increase in the number of assets on the regional asset map from Base Period Year 1 to Base Period Year 2	From the first year to the second year of Base Period, the number of assets on the regional map increased from 92 to 148 as documented through an annual regional asset mapping activity.

Catalyst

Outcome	Evidence
Increase in the number and type of DSEC programs offered within the region	The Hub Lead worked to increase the number of programs offered within the region from three in the first base period (Chief Science Officers, STEM Fellows, and Science Saturdays) to five programs in the second base period (Chief Science Officers, Next Gem Innovators, Tinker Camp, Dayton STEM Empowerment Initiative, and Science Saturdays).

Place-Based Local STEM Leader

Outcome

Evidence

Alignment of STEM education programs to community needs

During the first year of Base Period, the Hub Lead identified three community needs, followed by creating connections between local STEM providers and the community to address these needs during the second year of Base Period.

To address a need to leverage student voice in leadership and advocacy for STEM, the Hub Lead facilitated a collaboration between Sinclair Community College, the Dayton Regional STEM Center, and SciTech’s Chief Science Officer Program to create intensive, year-long STEM leadership opportunities for high school students.

To address a need for authentic, career-connected learning experiences for educators to enhance knowledge of current and future STEM careers, the Hub Lead connected the Next Gem Innovators program with the National Science Teachers Association to collaborate on providing regional educators with onsite STEM industry experiences and high-quality STEM-focused professional learning.

To address a need to support student STEM identity at the pre-K/early elementary level, the Hub Lead worked with the Science Saturdays program to offer a live science show that provided engaging, hands-on experiences for these learners and encourage a STEM mindset and interest in STEM careers.

Career-Connected Pathways Builder

Outcome	Evidence
Increase in the number of partnerships for internships, mentorships, and work-based learning experiences	From the first year to the second year of Base Period, the Hub Lead worked to increase the number of partnerships for internships, mentorships, and work-based learning experiences from 46 to 75. Participating partners included entities from the military, industry, non-profit, higher education, and K-12 education sectors. Partnership activities included identification and placement of students in STEM experiences, recruitment, connections between schools and industry partners, alignment of programs to meet work-based learning state requirements, and funding to support internships and student experiences.
Support STEM curriculum alignment to defense-related career pathways and create student-facing resources	The Hub Lead planned to address this outcome during the upcoming project period as their aviation and manufacturing pathway models were scheduled for review and updating in 2027-2028.

Regional Data

Fourteen DSEC partners provided programming in the Dayton, Ohio Metropolitan Area

DSEC partner participants in the Dayton hub region

Has being part of the hub strengthened the quality, reach, or participation…? I would say a hundred percent yes. Like I said, on the spectrum of workforce development that I work in, there’s career awareness, career exploration, career preparation, career training, and so on. So I’m always looking at a K through almost 16 approach, and my organization serves K through 14 because we do all that programming here and co-host things at the associate level and so on. I leverage the DSEC…where they are hosting events, doing outreach, hosting camps, and have access to those kinds of things. … I need kids to be interested in those programs, and I think DSEC does a fantastic job of getting students involved with a lot of our high-needs industries in our area.
— External organization