The madiSTEM Conference is dedicated to hosting a safe and fun event for everyone involved. We will follow JMU policy for the event. At the moment, no masking or vaccinations are required. If that changes, information here will be updated and registered attendees will be notified.
We encourage all attendees to wear masks as they feel comfortable. We will also have some masks on hand for those who want to mask, but forgot to bring one.
The madiSTEM conference is designed for girls in grades 6-8, so online registration for students is open only to students in these grades. Online pre-registration is required to attend madiSTEM.
Parents and teachers may register and attend madiSTEM with their students.
No, the conference is designed for girls in grades 6-8. The focus on these grade levels lets us provide the best possible experience for students in this age range. So if your child is younger than 6th grade, please wait until they're in 6th grade to register - we look forward to seeing you in a year or two!
Box lunches will be provided by JMU Catering. Check back later for more information about food.
If you find out that you or your student can no longer make the conference after registering, it is extremely important that you email madistem@jmu.edu to cancel your registration. Since we must prepare for each participant who registers, no-shows waste our limited financial resources and take spaces in workshops that could be filled with other interested participants. By canceling your registration if you cannot attend, you help us to accomodate more students and to keep madiSTEM free for participants.
No. Due to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to offer madiSTEM free of charge to participants. Note that pre-registration is required for all students and accompanying adults.
Registration is done online by clicking the link to the left. Registration will begin in mid-February. Join our email list to be notified when registration is opened. See the contact page for instructions on joining our email list.
Each workshop will have one or more assistants in addition to the workshop leader. The assistants are undergraduate JMU students who have volunteered their time for the day. They will be available to help your student with workshop activities. We will also have JMU students in the hallways between workshops to help your student find their next activity. Parents are welcom to attend the day to have a special day with their child and learn new tools for supporting their studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Efforts are made to try to accommodate your student's workshop preferences, and most participants get their top choices. But please realize that we have to accommodate many students, so your student may be placed in a workshop that was not one of their top choices. And, they may discover a previously unknown interest in one of these workshops!
No, we do not honor requests to match students with their friends. This conference is a great opportunity for the participants to meet students from other schools and make new friends.
Students will find out their workshops on the day of the conference.
Registered parents/teachers mayobserve the workshops and participate when feasible, but students will be given the priority.
If you attend madiSTEM, you must act maturely and follow the directions and instruction provided by the faculty, JMU students, and facilitators of the conference. You must attend all of the events scheduled for you, including lunch, and follow all COVID-19 protocols. You must remain on the JMU campus from 9:00am until the end of the conference at 3:30pm.
The madiSTEM conference was formerly known as the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference at James Madison University. With the exception of COVID-19-related cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the conference has been an annual event at JMU since 2008. The new name madiSTEM: Making a Difference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics was announced for the 2022 conference.
If you have questions or concerns not addressed here, please contact madistem@jmu.edu.
madiSTEM Email Address:
madistem@jmu.edu
