Partners
Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos
Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos is one of three community partners anchoring the ESC network and serves as the project’s headquarters, the Expressive STEM Center. Centro has hosted Families Learning Together programming since 2017. Housed in the historic Bonham Prekindergarten building, Centro brings a long history of community STEM programming to the Research Collective, dating to the NASA teacher education collaboration with Texas State University, as well as arts and cultural programs serving children and families in San Marcos.
San Marcos Public Library
The San Marcos Public Library (SMPL) is one of three community partners anchoring the ESC research network and, alongside Centro, has co-hosted Families Learning Together events since 2017. Building on the library’s tradition of family-centered literacy programming, SMPL hosts periodic self-contained ESC events such as book circles, scientist roundtables, and community science engagements.
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
The Meadows Center is a public-facing educational center and research institute at Texas State University which works with the ESC to accentuate the expressive science component of the project. The Meadows Center provides space, mentorship, and program support for community STEM learning across Central Texas and beyond. Situated at the headwaters of the San Marcos River, the Meadows Center hosts self-contained ESC events and monthly family science programming within its living-laboratory setting at Spring Lake.
Alkek One at Texas State University
Alkek One is part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, providing ESC participants with media production resources for building participant-curated digital portfolios, including facilities for video and podcast creation. Alkek One works alongside the Multidisciplinary Innovation Lab (School of Art and Design) to give families, youth, and undergraduates no-cost access to fabrication and media tools for documenting and sharing their STEM learning.