Despite decades of reform, many students still experience STEM subjects as disconnected facts and procedures that feel far removed from their lives. Our January Lunchtime Lecture presents a compelling alternative: integrated STEM education that invites learners to investigate real-world phenomena, design solutions, and use mathematical tools to make sense of complex systems. Dr. Victor Sampson will share recent developments in STEM education that provide teachers with practical ways to enact this vision. Participants will explore how coherent, equitable, and deeply engaging STEM experiences can foster strong identities and empower all students to shape the future they will inherit.

Dr. Victor Sampson is an Associate Professor of STEM Education at The University of Texas at Austin. His research and teaching focus on how people learn to participate in scientific and engineering practices such as argumentation, explanation, and modeling, as well as how teachers can create classroom environments that support these practices in meaningful, equitable, and instructionally productive ways. He is particularly interested in how curriculum materials and assessments can be designed to promote literacy, critical thinking, and sense-making in science and engineering without sacrificing content knowledge or standards alignment.

Dr. Sampson has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters on scientific argumentation, classroom discourse, assessment, and curriculum design. He is also the lead author of multiple sets of instructional materials and teacher resources designed to help K–12 educators integrate three-dimensional learning into science instruction in ways that align with both the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). These resources are widely used across the United States and internationally.

His work has been supported by a range of organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Education Sciences, and private foundations. Through these projects, Dr. Sampson has collaborated with researchers, teachers, and school districts to develop innovative approaches that improve student engagement and achievement in science, while also strengthening students’ abilities to read, write, and reason effectively. His research emphasizes the importance of creating meaningful learning experiences to promote equity and broaden participation in STEM.