The InSPIRE initiative continued to expand its reach and impact across Northwest Florida this year by supporting teachers, strengthening school and district partnerships, and creating meaningful connections between education, industry, and emerging technologies. Through professional learning, field experiences, guest expert sessions, STEM events, industry engagement, and regional collaboration, InSPIRE is helping educators prepare students for future-ready careers in artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, computational thinking, and related STEM fields.
A major focus of this year’s work was building teacher capacity through high-quality courses and professional learning experiences that combine strong pedagogy with real-world application. InSPIRE’s courses are designed not only to introduce educators to new technologies, but also to help them translate those technologies into meaningful classroom instruction. Participants explored instructional strategies, completed field-based learning experiences, connected with guest experts, and developed classroom-ready ideas that can be adapted across grade levels and subject areas.
Since its inception in 2024, InSPIRE has trained more than 200 teachers across eight counties. These outcomes reflect the program’s continued commitment to expanding access to STEM and career-connected learning for students throughout Northwest Florida.
Courses and Professional Learning
InSPIRE offered several major courses in 2026, including AI101, AI102, and Robo 101. Each course was designed to help educators build both content knowledge and instructional confidence along with earning industry certifications.
AI101 introduced teachers to foundational concepts in artificial intelligence, including how AI works, how it is used in everyday life and the workplace, and how students can begin to understand and apply AI concepts. The course emphasized responsible AI use, classroom integration, and practical instructional strategies.
AI102 expanded on the foundation established in AI101 by helping teachers move deeper into AI applications, advanced prompting techniques, classroom implementation, and curriculum connections. Teachers explored how to use AI tools to design open-ended lessons that reflect real-life scenarios and encourage students to engage in problem solving, critical thinking, engineering design, creativity, and ethical decision-making. The course maintained a strong focus on responsible AI use, bias, pedagogy, and meaningful classroom integration.
Robo 101 supported teachers in building foundational knowledge of robotics and classroom implementation. Participants explored robotics concepts, hands-on activities, instructional design, and ways to connect robotics learning to computational thinking, problem solving, engineering, and career pathways. The course also included pre-engineering foundations and emphasized durable workplace skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, perseverance, and problem solving.
Across these courses, InSPIRE intentionally integrated pedagogy, field experiences, guest experts, and real-world applications. Teachers were not simply learning about AI or robotics in isolation; they were learning how to teach these concepts in ways that are engaging, developmentally appropriate, and connected to future workforce needs.
Course participants visited FSU's Polysonic Wind Tunnel.
Teachers taking part in InSPIRE's Robo 101 course.
InSPIREd Schools
In 2026, InSPIRE began forming InSPIREd Schools, a growing network of schools committed to expanding STEM, computational thinking, AI, robotics, and career-connected learning opportunities for students. Initial partner schools include Eglin Elementary, Tyndall Academy, and other schools across the region.
A key focus of the InSPIREd Schools effort is supporting military-connected students and military dependents. By partnering with schools serving these communities, InSPIRE is helping create consistent, high-quality STEM learning opportunities for students whose families often experience transitions and mobility due to military service.
The InSPIREd Schools model is designed to deepen school-level implementation, support teacher leadership, and create sustainable pathways for STEM learning. This work represents an important next step in moving from individual teacher training to broader schoolwide impact.
Teacher Leadership and Facilitators
A major strength of InSPIRE is the growing network of trained educators who continue to support and expand the work. In the summer of 2026, 13 InSPIREd teachers returned as facilitators, helping lead professional learning, mentor peers, and support new participants.
These returning facilitators bring classroom experience, regional knowledge, and practical implementation strategies to the program. Their leadership helps ensure that InSPIRE remains grounded in the realities of teaching while also building a sustainable model for growth across districts and schools.
In 2026, 13 InSPIREd teachers returned as facilitators.
InSPIRE has a growing network of trained educators who continue to support and expand the work.
Regional Impact
Since its inception in 2024, InSPIRE has trained more than 250 teachers across eight counties, expanding the program’s reach throughout Northwest Florida. In addition, the program has supported more than 400 industry certifications, helping students and educators connect classroom learning to recognized workforce credentials.
Several schools and colleges across the region hosted InSPIRE workshops, helping make professional learning more accessible to educators and strengthening local partnerships. These host sites played an important role in expanding the initiative’s reach and creating shared ownership for STEM and career-connected learning across Northwest Florida.
Teachers also had opportunities to tour local colleges and schools to see firsthand the innovations, advanced programs, and emerging opportunities available in their own communities. These experiences helped teachers better understand the pathways, resources, and future-focused learning environments available to their students, while also strengthening connections between K-12 schools, postsecondary institutions, and regional partners.
The initiative also continued to build connections with state colleges and regional partners. Through college visits and ongoing collaboration, InSPIRE strengthened relationships across Northwest Florida and created new opportunities to align K-12 education, postsecondary pathways, and workforce needs.
These visits helped build awareness, identify shared goals, and strengthen support systems for teachers, students, and schools. By connecting K-12 educators with higher education and industry partners, InSPIRE is helping create a more coordinated regional STEM ecosystem.
Higher Education Pathways and Engineering Expansion
InSPIRE also began working with university and regional partners to explore opportunities for expanding engineering coursework at the FSU Panama City campus. This effort is designed to help attract and support more bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students while strengthening the connection between regional workforce needs and higher education pathways in Northwest Florida.
This work has included early conversations with the College of Engineering, the Dean of FSU Panama City, the Provost’s Office, and other university partners to discuss course development, hiring needs, and long-term program growth. By helping expand engineering-related opportunities at the Panama City campus, InSPIRE is supporting a broader talent development strategy that connects K-12 outreach, teacher professional learning, undergraduate and graduate education, and regional industry needs.
This year also marked an important milestone as Joey Massaro became InSPIRE’s first graduate student. Joey began graduate coursework and joined the initiative as a graduate assistant, supporting InSPIRE’s continued growth while building experience at the intersection of education, STEM, workforce development, and regional partnership work.
Industry and Community Engagement
InSPIRE continued to emphasize the importance of connecting teachers, students, and families with industry professionals and real-world career pathways. This year’s activities included speed networking events, STEM panels, STEM nights, and several STEM-focused events designed to expose educators and students to career opportunities and emerging workforce needs.
Speed networking gave participants opportunities to interact directly with industry representatives, ask questions, and learn more about local and regional career pathways. STEM events and panel discussions provided additional opportunities for students and teachers to hear from professionals working in fields such as advanced manufacturing, technology, engineering, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
InSPIRE also participated in Advanced Manufacturing Month, which included virtual tours and opportunities to highlight the importance of advanced manufacturing in the regional economy. As part of this work, InSPIRE created virtual tours of Fort Walton Machining and Maritech for students to use as they learn about local advanced manufacturing facilities in their own area. These virtual tours help students connect classroom learning to real employers, modern technologies, and career opportunities available in Northwest Florida.
During STEM nights, students experienced additive manufacturing by seeing 3D printers in action and using 3D-printed catapults to explore engineering design, problem solving, and physics concepts. These hands-on activities helped students engage with advanced manufacturing technologies in an accessible and exciting way. They also gave parents the opportunity to see the technology firsthand and learn about new opportunities coming to the area because of InSPIRE’s work.
Together, these activities helped strengthen awareness of regional workforce needs, introduce students to future-ready career pathways, and build stronger connections among schools, families, colleges, and industry partners.
InSPIRE's Jim Reynolds at STEM night helping students experience additive manufacturing by seeing 3D printers in action.
Speed networking events emphasize the importance of connecting teachers, students, and families with industry professionals and real-world career pathways.
Presentations and Outreach
InSPIRE shared its work and lessons learned with broader audiences through several presentations and conference sessions. This year, InSPIRE presented on artificial intelligence at the Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference and the UCF Teach with AI Conference. These presentations highlighted the initiative’s approach to AI education, teacher professional learning, and classroom implementation.
InSPIRE also presented to faculty at the FSU Innovation Hub, focusing on what is currently happening with artificial intelligence at the K-12 level and how these changes may impact higher education. The presentation helped faculty better understand how K-12 teachers and students are beginning to use, explore, and respond to AI in classrooms, as well as how those experiences may shape student expectations, instructional needs, academic preparation, and future learning pathways in college and career settings.
InSPIRE also hosted the America 250 AI Co-Design Challenge, giving educators an opportunity to apply and refine their AI skills in meaningful, relevant ways. Through the challenge, teachers used AI to co-design instructional resources and learning experiences connected to America 250 themes while continuing to build confidence with responsible and creative AI use. Six teachers were recognized for their efforts with prizes, and many of the projects and participants received local news attention, helping spotlight the innovative work happening in classrooms across the region.
These outreach efforts helped expand awareness of InSPIRE and positioned the initiative as a leader in AI, STEM, robotics, and career-connected teacher professional learning.
InSPIRE’s Robert Hanna presenting on Artifical Intelligence.
Carrie Meyers, InSPIRE’s Director of Education and Workforce Talent, presenting at FSU's Innovation Hub.
Recognition
Carrie Meyers, Director of Education and Workforce Talent for FSU InSPIRE at Florida State University’s Learning Systems Institute, received the 2026 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Partner Service Award. This statewide recognition honors her leadership in strengthening the connection between education and industry and her work to expand career awareness, educator capacity, and workforce-connected learning across Northwest Florida. Through InSPIRE, Meyers helps guide a long-term regional initiative designed to strengthen the talent pipeline for high-demand industries, including advanced manufacturing, aerospace, engineering technology, and related STEM fields.
The award also highlights the importance of positioning educators as workforce multipliers. Meyers’ work helps equip teachers with the confidence, credentials, curriculum, and industry connections needed to bring real-world advanced manufacturing and engineering technology contexts into K-12 classrooms. Her efforts have included supporting Advanced Manufacturing Month, helping coordinate industry-education speed networking with FloridaMakes and FLATE, creating virtual tours of Fort Walton Machining and Maritech for CPALMS, and supporting STEAM events that connect students and families with manufacturing careers. This recognition reflects both Meyers’ leadership and InSPIRE’s broader mission to make high-wage, high-demand career pathways real, visible, and attainable for students across Northwest Florida.
Carrie Meyers Awarded
FSU InSPIRE’s Director of Education and Workforce Talent, Carrie Meyers, was awarded FLATE’s Manufacturing Partner-of-the-Year for Service. As the winner of FLATE’s Distinguished Manufacturing Partner Service Award, Meyers embodies their commitment to exceptional technology education and career readiness for the expanding advanced manufacturing workforce.
Looking Ahead
As InSPIRE continues to grow, the initiative will focus on expanding InSPIREd Schools, supporting military-connected students, developing teacher leaders, strengthening regional partnerships, and increasing access to high-quality STEM and career-connected learning.
The program will continue to build on its successful courses, including AI101, AI102, and Robo 101, while also completing AI103 through a Google partnership after the InSPIRE team was invited to train with Google. InSPIRE will also work on writing additional robotics tracks and adding coursework in computational thinking and introductory 3D printing. These new and expanded courses will help teachers bring AI, robotics, engineering design, coding, and additive manufacturing into classrooms in ways that connect directly to real-world problem solving and future workforce opportunities. The initiative will also work to expand course offerings online, increasing access for more educators across the region and supporting long-term scalability.
InSPIRE will also continue supporting conversations and partnerships that expand engineering coursework and higher education pathways at the FSU Panama City campus, helping attract and support bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students while aligning academic programs with regional workforce needs.
By combining strong pedagogy, hands-on learning, field experiences, guest experts, industry connections, higher education collaboration, and regional partnership work, InSPIRE is helping create a sustainable model for preparing students for the future workforce.
Through its work with teachers, schools, districts, colleges, university partners, industry partners, students, and families, InSPIRE is making a lasting contribution to STEM education and workforce development across Northwest Florida.