Stairway to STEM was developed, produced, and is maintained by Pellet Media, an award-winning media production company.
Pellet has been working with higher education and industry partners for more than 20 years to bring informative and engaging content to students and educators, as well as companies invested in educational success for all learners. Many of our projects include non-disclosure clauses, but we contribute to some of your favorite shows on channels such as PBS.
How and why did Pellet develop STS?
When collaborating with college partners on other National Science Foundation (NSF) projects, the Pellet team began to notice that there was a significant need for autism resources that supported collegiate success. Students and educators were both frustrated. We began researching the issues and discovered just how poor educational outcomes are for autistic students without corresponding intellectual disabilities. We knew we could contribute to closing that gap.
Pellet submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF), drawing on our deep educational network and media-production knowledge. In 2017, we were awarded an NSF grant to produce educational videos for college instructors, a series of evidence-based best practices that focused on implementations to support diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. As we put together our team of experts (STS’s Editorial Board Members) and built upon our initial research, the project evolved in response to community need.
The rest, as they say, is history. Since October 2018, STS has been publishing stellar content from diverse and knowledgeable contributors, most of whom identify as autistic, are a long-time advocate or expert in the field of education and disability inclusion, have a close familial relationship with an autistic student, or encompass some combination of the above.
We’re always looking for feedback on our site. Have questions, comments, or suggestions? Reach Managing Editor Jessica Murray here.
Want to join our team? Check out contributor positions here.
Value our resources? Please share them with your community, and join ours, where you can participate in community discussions and in the comments sections.
Do you have a video project or content system (such as STS) you want help developing? Pellet is taking new clients – learn more about us and drop us a line. We look forward to speaking with you!