BELIEVE IN OHIO
TM
Believe in OhioTM is a free, comprehensive, STEM and entrepreneurship program of the Ohio Academy of Science and is available to every Ohio middle school and high school student. Believe in OhioTM is an experiential program that prepares students to meet the demands of a rapidly changing labor market where technology and innovation create new challenges, as well as new and rewarding opportunities.
Funded by the State of Ohio through the Department of Higher Education, the Believe in OhioTM program has successfully impacted more than 10,000 students from more than 200 schools across every part of Ohio. Students have earned more than $1.2 million in awards and scholarships to Ohio colleges and universities.
Believe in Ohio is a multi-faceted program
to develop student innovators
ABOUT BELIEVE IN OHIO
Local STEM Plan Competitions and Awards
High school and middle school students have an opportunity to develop a STEM Commercialization Plan or a STEM Business Plan for entry into a local high school competition.
The State competition will award hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to Ohio colleges and universities, post-secondary career centers and vocational schools.
Regional STEM Plan Competitions and Scholarships
Local high school plans that receive certain high scores from judges will be invited to participate in a regional competition.
All Ohio high school students, who are juniors or seniors during the 2022-2023 school year, and who meet the qualifications, are invited to apply for a $2,000 Believe in Ohio STEM Scholarship.
Statewide STEM Scholarship information can be found here. Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
Advocates are available to help teachers and individual students in the Believe in Ohio program
Teachers or individual students who are interested in participating in the Believe in OhioTM program should contact their STEM Advocate (see contact information below).
- Sheila Cubick (Northeast): scubick@ohiosci.org
- Nick Fortener (Western): nfortener@ohiosci.org
- Kasey Harris (Southeast): kharris@ohiosci.org
- Angie McMurry (Central): amcmurry@ohiosci.org
SIGN-UP FOR BELIEVE IN OHIO
Teachers, if you would like to enroll in the Believe in Ohio Program, complete the appropriate MOU by clicking on the link below.
Students, if your school does not participate in Believe in Ohio, but you would like to, contact your Advocate using the information above.
- MOU High School link: https://form.jotform.com/OhioScience/bio-mou-high-school
- MOU Middle School link: https://form.jotform.com/OhioScience/believe-in-ohio-mou-middle-school
- MOU Organizational (limited to grades 9-12) link: https://form.jotform.com/OhioScience/believe-in-ohio-mou-organization
Free Professional Development
This is a self-directed, online course in Google Classroom. Teachers can “attend” any time between February-June. This workshop will familiarize teachers with the concepts of entrepreneurship and design-thinking ideation by engaging teachers in the resources that are based on the Believe in OhioTM program.
Instruction and activities will increase teachers’ conceptual knowledge of the entrepreneurial mindset, design-thinking, and the relationship between STEM and innovation. This is a self-directed, online, and in a Google Classroom. Teachers can “attend” any time between February and June.
There are 4 options:
- 10 contact-hours, or
- 1 Grad Credit through Ashland U, or
- 15 Gifted contact-hours, or
- 1 grad credit with Gifted.
University tuition can be reimbursed after grades are posted for teachers of grades 6-12.
Follow this link to sign up: https://forms.gle/FNeKxqgSHPUdw2Nc9
