What is SHTEAM Punks?

SHTEAM Punks is a cross-disciplinary faculty collaborative at Texas Woman's University dedicated to breaking down the traditional silos between the Science, Humanities, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (SHTEAM) fields. Our goal is to create innovative projects that connect the university with the broader community. These initiatives range from developing new, hands-on K-12 outreach programs to designing forward-thinking academic minors and certificates. Our inaugural flagship project is to establish TWU as a community support hub for local Destination Imagination (DI) teams, providing mentorship and resources for young innovators.

(P.S. How do you say SHTEAM? Imagine you're Sean Connery saying "steam".)

The Bright idea

It all started with a problem. A really BIG problem. Denton ISD had half-days, and a bunch of us professors had kids who needed a place to go. We figured, "We're smart. We have labs and art supplies. We can handle this." So, we formed a club. We even had a name: The STEM Babysitter's Club.

But then we realized something. One of our members from Computer Science asked, "Why stop at STEM?" And they were right! A colleague from the English department had amazing ideas for stories, and another from the Art department knew how to make everything look cool. It wasn’t just about babysitting; it was about building, creating, and mixing all our different skills together.
So, we changed the name. We became the SHTEAM Punks. We're still solving problems, but now they're even bigger. We have a few simple rules: break down silos, make cool stuff, and always be curious. Oh, and our official headquarters is wherever the best shnacks are. This is our story.

FAQs

How do you say SHTEAM? Imagine you’re Sean Connery saying “steam.”
How do you spell SHTEAM Punks? a-n-t-i-d-i-s-e-s-t-a-b-l-i-s-h-m-e-n-t-a-r-i-a-n-i-s-m
What does the 'H' in SHTEAM stand for? The 'H' stands for Humanities. We believe that storytelling, history, and culture are essential tools for creative problem-solving. The Humanities help us understand why we are creating something, not just how.