At Incarnate Word Academy, STEM classes focus on hands-on labs versus lectures. Every day there are students applying academic content to solve real-world problems. You’ll see Engineering students dropping parachutes from the balcony to observe "drag" and design the most efficient build. In Chemistry, students will roast marshmallows to learn about combustion reactions. In Freshman Honors Biology, students smash grapes in ziplock bags with yeast to spur the metabolic process of fermentation. In Geometry, students defend their proofs in Geometry Court in front of the “judge.” In Physics, students walk to Discovery Green to throw softballs and analyze projectile motion. The list of daily activities impresses campus visitors who make comments such as, “I would have loved Chemistry if my teacher had been that talented!”

Students in STEM classes are active and engaged. Classes are rigorous and students are challenged and supported. According to Science Department Chair Stephen Comer, exciting labs and dedicated teachers are reasons “more than half of our graduates in recent years major in a STEM field in college.”  Mr. Comer names former students who emailed teachers recently to share their success in medical majors such as nursing, pre-med, or physical therapy, as well as biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, math, physics, data management, and computer science. "I couldn't have succeeded without the foundation I received at IWA," wrote a former student now studying at Texas A&M.

To further inspire students interested in STEM fields, on Saturday, November 11, the school is partnering with UH Downtown to bring current and prospective IWA students to “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.”  RSVPs are due by Friday, October 27.  RSVP:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2hWeli1fXtItqTSRk2HlVIzpAHtttZvaUCz1s44UZ0w1YTA/viewform.