The Cleburne County Mountain Center is a rustic, state-of-the-art, visitor center with "the highest concentration of nationally protected natural areas" in the country!
The Cleburne County Mountain Center is a rustic, state-of-the-art, visitor center with "the highest concentration of nationally protected natural areas" in the country!
We are looking forward to welcoming you to the GEMS Expo taking place on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at the Cleburne County Mountain Center!
To the left, you will find the Tentative Expo Agenda.
ARRIVAL: 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Sponsors ONLY report to the registration table located at the Front Entrance. Once the sponsor has signed in, teams may enter to set up project displays.
Keynote Address and Project Showcase: 9:00 - 11:00 AM
GEMS Teams will share their projects.
STEM Hands-on Activities: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
GEMS Teams will participate in a variety of hands-on, STEM-themed activities.
DISMISSAL: 1:30 PM
Sponsors are responsible for releasing the students to a designated parent or guardian. We expect ALL team members to participate in the scheduled activities until the end. No early departures, PLEASE!
Check the FAQs page for more information
This event is based on an application process. Only GEMS team members and their sponsors/co-sponsors receiving a notice of acceptance are eligible to attend the Expo.
Sponsors are responsible for travel arrangements and monitoring students following the school/district's field trip policies and guidelines.
Location Information:
Cleburne County Mountain Center
6751 Hwy 78
Heflin, AL 36264
The "Mountain Center" is operated as a partnership between the Cleburne County Commission and Jacksonville State University
Visit https://www.jsu.edu/epic/mountaincenter/index.html for more information about this exciting venue as well as driving directions.
Owner/CEO of SAGA Construction, LLC, a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)-certified woman-owned small business
Construction Project Manager
SAGA Construction, LLC
2024 Quanthub Alabama Data Scholar - EBSCOed Intern
Auburn University Student majoring in chemical engineering with a biomedical engineering specialization
Society of Women Engineers (Auburn Chapter)
100+ Women Strong
Cleburne County Economic Development Director
Communications Specialist
Scout Program Management
Special Guest
Miss Jacksonville State University 2025
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Jacksonville State University Regional Inservice Center for their generous support in providing the venue and planning assistance for the 2025 Heflin GEMS Expo. To learn more about the professional learning opportunities offered by the Jax State RIC, please visit https://www.jsu.edu/inservice/index.html.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Scout Program Management for their generous support as a sponsor of the 2025 Heflin GEMS Expo. To learn more about Scout Program Management, please visit https://www.scoutpm.com/.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Saga Construction for their generous support as a sponsor of the 2025 Heflin GEMS Expo. To learn more about SAGA Construction, a certified woman-owned industrial and commercial general contractor, please visit https://sagaconstruct.com/.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Southwire for their generous support as a sponsor of the 2025 Heflin GEMS Expo. To learn more about Southwire, please visit https://www.southwire.com/.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to QuantHub for generously providing snacks for the 2025 Heflin GEMS Expo attendees. To learn more about QuantHub, please visit https://www.quanthub.com/.
We sincerely thank the Cleburne County Department of Economic Development for their generous support in assisting with the planning and hosting of the 2025 Heflin GEMS Expo. To learn more about the department's mission and upcoming events, please click here.