Discussion in our March Collab Lab focused on the role visual design and communication can play in STEM. We started the conversation by asking…
“What can visual design and communication skills bring to how students engage with STEM?”
Across our discussion groups, several themes emerged:
Real-World Application: Visual design and communication skills equip students with a new set of tools to explore real-world issues, and at the same time, exploration of real-world issues provide rich opportunities to develop those skills.
Cognitive Scaffolding and Conceptual Clarity: As an alternative to rote memorization, engaging in design and modeling can help making complex ideas more accessible and allow students build a deeper understanding of abstract concepts.
Lowering Barriers to Engagement: Visual design acts as a familiar and low-stakes”entry point or on-ramp that can spark curiosity and personalize the learning experience for students who might otherwise feel intimidated by the subject.
Psychological Safety and Iterative Thinking: The design process fosters a growth mindset by encouraging risk-taking, divergent thinking, and the acceptance of critique, shifting the focus from “finding the one right answer” to process-oriented iteration.
Collaborative Problem-Solving and Agency: Effective communication norms and visual tools empower students to share diverse perspectives, identify real-world problems, and move from frustration toward actionable, solution-oriented thinking.
The Power of Materiality and Tangibility: The specific choice of materials can serve as a physical catalyst that shifts a student’s brain from passive observation to active, sensory-rich experimentation.
Disciplined Observation and Relational Thinking: Visual design trains students to “drill down” on what they are seeing to understand the proximity and relationships between objects, fostering the same observational skills required for scientific inquiry.
Emotional Processing and Personal Agency: By providing a path to move from frustration over a issue toward solutions thinking, design gives students a productive way to process the emotional challenges of difficult STEM problems and claim personal ownership over their work.
From there we move the discussion to…
“Where do we see gaps in developing these skills?”
Here too we saw some interesting themes emerge:
The Metric Mismatch: There is a fundamental values gap between what we would like to see (creativity, confidence, joy) and what school systems measure/value: standardized test scores, progress towards credit requirements, and stable schedules.
The “Basics” vs. “Application” Tug-of-War
When visual design/communication in STEM work is an add on at the end of an exploration, rather than a means to explore, the time allocated to this effort becomes secondary to ensuring that students have the basics down. In effect, we ignore the notion that the application of concept is, in itself, an opportunity to understand it more deeply.
Structural Scarcity of Time and Space: Schedules in K-12 don’t support the slower nature of design, iteration, and project-based learning. Without the space and time to get messy, experiment, fail and try again, students are forced to work in a system that asks for the right answer now.
Cultural and Generational Drag:
It’s not just the schools—it’s the surrounding ecosystem. Parent expectations are often rooted in a “how it used to be” mindset, and school leadership may lack the forethought to prioritize interdisciplinary connections over traditional silos.
Equity and Resource Gaps
There is a glaring gap in access. The difference in funding across private, charter and public schools can mean that for many schools, materials and facilities are often a luxury rather than a standard tool for learning.
We ended our discussion with one final question:
What concrete opportunities can you see to develop these skills as part of students’ STEM experiences?
Here are groups took a couple of different paths.
Practices to adopt
- Break out of the box
- Find opportunities to make connections real and concrete in learning
- Experiential learning strategies
- Walk across the hall to connect with colleagues in different disciplines
- Recognize that what you spend time on is a priority
- Work with the rage and frustration within a broken system to bring in some light and joy
Some specific opportunities
- Is there a faculty member in the College of Arts & Architecture at UWM open to having their students work with elementary school math teachers as a service/experiential learning opportunity?
- MIAD already has a program in place to work with K-12 art teachers. What could it look like if MIAD could include STEM teachers in that?
Thanks
A big thanks to the MSOE STEM Center for hosting us, and to all of our featured participants:
Kristin Steinbach Holtz — Experiential Learning Manager, MIAD
Jodi Schomaker — Senior Manager of Creative & Design, Discovery World
Paul Mech – Director of Education, Discovery World
Dr. Aaron Robert Atencio — Research Curator Cultural Sciences, Milwaukee Public Museum
Our tenth season of Collab Labs kicked off last week with a session co-hosted with Adriana Vázquez, Director of Education & Public Programs, and Maisie Buntin, Outreach Programs Coordinator for the Milwaukee Public Museum. Every year, the Milwaukee Public Museum hosts its annual BioBlitz, a 24-hour event where scientists survey the biodiversity in a park or natural area. Our session focused on a nagging issue for Adriana and Maisie– BioBlitzes don’t happen during the school year, so the museum misses opportunities to engage school audiences.
Bernie’s background includes research in developmental ecology and amphibian conservation and positions in nonprofit leadership, community outreach, and science education. Before joining SCBNA, Bernie served as the Director of Science Outreach at Edgewood College in Madison, WI, where he led the development and implementation of community-based science education programs for underrepresented communities across the state. He is also Board Vice President of the Urban Learning Collaborative, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit aimed at training the next generation of K-12 educators. Bernie is passionate about connecting scientists with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and students of all ages through his role at SCBNA, all in an effort to protect our natural world. Bernie received a B.S. in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and an M.S. in Biology from Washington State University. Born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, he now lives and works in Milwaukee, WI with his wife and their cat.
The School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is the largest water focused academic research institute on the Great Lakes and the only North American school of higher education solely dedicated to freshwater issues. The School trains the next generation of freshwater professionals and advances strategic science to inform policy, improve management, and promote the health and sustainability of the Great Lakes and freshwater systems worldwide. Liz has spent her career working to engage and inspire young people through STEM and environmental science education. In 2008 she transitioned into higher education, working as the Assistant Director and STEM Specialist for UWM College for Kids before developing a formal outreach department within the School of Freshwater Sciences with her at the helm.
Chris Young has been teaching biology, environmental history, conservation, and natural history for over 25 years, starting in Minnesota, then Oregon, and now in Milwaukee at Alverno College, the Urban Ecology Center, and most recently at UW-Milwaukee. He is the director of the Conservation and Environmental Science program at UWM. His main project is to explore how people learn to become naturalists, that important space between becoming a scientist and examining our human connection to the natural world. He earned a Ph.D. in the History of Science and Technology from the University of Minnesota.
Maisie is an educator with experience working at museums and science/nature centers. In her role at MPM, she aims to make museum learning accessible to all through travelling outreach programming and strong community partnerships. She believes that bringing MPM to classrooms, community organizations, and community-based events provides more opportunities for authentic learning.
Adriana is an MPS graduate and educator. At MPM, she builds on her experience partnering with museums as a classroom teacher to connect exhibits with curriculum and field trips. She believes museums can uniquely support K–12+ educators while sparking curiosity and excitement in learners of all ages.
Peter teaches 7th and 8th-grade science and high school robotics in the St. Francis School District. Over the past 27 years, he has taught a variety of science and mathematics courses, including Earth and Life Sciences. Graven serves as the lead teacher and mentor for SFROBOTICS, a program that engages students in diverse robotics competitions such as FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST LEGO League, MATE ROV, and SEAPERCH, as well as in STE(A)M projects with local and global impact, supported by strategic partnerships.
Marissa is an accomplished water engineer, environmental advisor, and plastics-reduction expert who has worked in more than 45 countries. Her work with The Freshwater Collaborative leverages expertise across 13 University of Wisconsin institutions to lead the global community in addressing freshwater challenges, and advance its mission to:
Dr. Lemke is an Anthropological Archaeologist. In addition to her role at UWM, she is the former Chair of the 
A leader of agile software development projects at JCI, Amber is a passionate advocate for building high performance teams that look like and have roots in the communities they work in. The practices she uses to manage uncertainty, build trust and, and foster courageous conversations are central to her work. As the spouse of a high school teacher and with two children in MPS, she recognizes the value those practices can offer to both educators and students looking to take on real-world challenges.
Kelsey is Marquette’s representative for engagement in the community, tasked to explore and promote community-engaged opportunities for Marquette students, faculty and staff. Previously she served as the Director of Innovation at the 707 Hub at Marquette University. There she ran business bootcamps for students and community entrepreneurs and helped to build a social innovation ecosystem in Wisconsin. She is naturally curious and enjoys connecting the dots between people, ideas and resources! She was recognized as one of Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 winners in 2019.
Mike is an interactive designer and former VP and Creative Director of the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. He currently splits his time between producing museum exhibits and running a small carpentry business out of his shop in Bayview.
Anamarie is a Multidisciplinary Contemporary artist and artist educator currently based in Milwaukee originally from the deep south . She often intersects social justice, her identity, and interactive education to influence her paintings, installations, sculptures, and performances. With the experiences she has with community and through life itself, she builds her practice to relay that information visually to those interested in learning a variety of topics.
For the past eight years, Jeff has been working in interactive development alongside his business partner Hector Borges, first as the co-founders of Outer Rim, where they produced and released their first game in their first year of school. They operated under the name Outer Rim for four years before rebranding as Foresight Studios. In his role at Foresight Studios, Jeff is focused on creating innovative experiences that leverage new and emerging technologies, including VR, AR, and XR. The company has worked with the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. to create a VR demo and developed “
Dionna is a creative professional with extensive experience planning and executing commercial projects centered on graphic design, including brand identity and logo design initiatives. Developed at an early age, some of her artistic and creative abilities include illustration, painting, photography, and graphic arts. Her extensive background in visual and graphic arts has enabled her to serve in the creative arts industry for over 20 years. Her experience also includes the founding of a children’s book imprint, serving as author, publisher, illustrator, and designer. In addition, Dionna serves at ArtWorks for Milwaukee as Lead Artist to high school interns in the graphic design + mental health advocacy program. (website: 
Cindy is passionate about instilling a love of nature, demonstrating the value of community, and embracing the curiosity and wonder in students. A strong advocate for project based learning, Cindy loves teaching children to communicate with their peers, collaborate on designs and solutions, and look to nature for inspiration. This year, The Riveredge School educators are partnering with the talented art educators at Lynden Sculpture Garden to create an integrated, interdisciplinary curriculum that is nature based and aligns with our science and social studies curriculum for every grade level. The arts integrated framework will enable students to explore the intersection of arts, culture and nature across the curriculum.