The Riley Center for STEM Education

One of the key educational philosophies of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is that we teach our young women, "What they need to know for life." STEM interdisciplinary education provides opportunities to develop core competencies such as critical thinking, analytical and deductive reasoning, computing and communication skills -- competencies needed by all students in all careers.

A 30,000 square foot facility, the Center boasts flexible, technology enabled active learning (TEAL) environments that include eight science laboratories, three lab prep rooms, eight mathematics classrooms, a design thinking and entrepreneurship classroom and labs dedicated to design and innovation, robotics and coding. The Center also connects with outdoor teaching learning space to provide a wider campus experience for environmental science. While the Center reflects the current curriculum offered by our excellent faculty, it provides a more extended, nimble space for research, teaching, collaboration and project based learning.

Educational space should inspire, providing an intellectual energy and an aspiration to push the boundaries of learning. The Center also promotes the dynamic between theory and practice, as project based learning models emphasize the ability of STEM designs and products to heal and enhance the quality of life throughout the world.

Women are underrepresented in STEM careers, as corporate executives consistently seek female leaders in engineering, coding, biochemistry, aeronautics and other STEM related fields. Promoting self-confidence in young women starts in the critically formative years of middle and high school as we prepare our students for opportunities, challenges and careers that may not even currently exist.