STEM Initiative

“Team STEM” as we enthusiastically call ourselves, held two listening sessions in late spring/early summer 2020 with dozens of Collegium STEM alumni. The two key themes that arose were a desire to form a supportive and encouraging network of STEM faculty, and a desire for accessible and practical resources that would provide examples of how STEM faculty address mission-related topics in their teaching, service and/or scholarship. In response, we are excited to share our STEM Mission VLOG series!

Find Some Awe: End of Semester Reflection

One of the central aspects of Jesuit education is “Finding God in all Things.” For me, this is summarized in the experience of awe. Exclamations like, “Wow, that was so cool.” and “I wonder what would…

Lessons Learned: Building Metacognition Using the Ignatian Examen

The Ignatian Examen is a 500-year old method of contemplation, identifying patterns in our life that help us become more human and identify obstacles to that growth. Students often view organic…

Care for Our Common Home: Environmental Justice for Upper Division Students

The Mission of a Catholic institution calls it to be attentive to environmental injustice as well as social and economic injustices. Indeed, the issues are deeply entwined. The Biblical command to be…

Integrity in Teams

University of Portland's joy lunch initiative
This video is part of the joy of teaching project at the University of Portland, sponsored by Collegium.

Cultivating Wonder in Biology

In her poem Sometimes, Mary Oliver gives startling simple yet profound instructions for a life well lived: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. I share this excerpt with my introductory…

Conjectures of Courage

University of Portland's joy lunch initiative
This video is part of the joy of teaching project at the University of Portland, sponsored by Collegium.

An Invitation to Wonder

How do we provide educational experiences in the sciences that help students think about themselves as global citizens? How do we support students in their personal and spiritual formation? These…

Humans before Heat Transfer

After attending Collegium, I thought for a long time about how I might help my engineering students with character formation, particularly building empathy and compassion as a habit. I implemented…

Kindness in Calculus

University of Portland's joy lunch initiative
This video is part of the joy of teaching project at the University of Portland, sponsored by Collegium.