On July 29–30, the Great Lakes Bay Region East Chief Science Officers (CSOs) gathered at Saginaw Valley State University for the 2025–2026 Leadership Training Institute (LTI). This year’s sessions focused on action planning, networking with STEM professionals, sharing their CSO vision, telling their story, and exploring the new Moodle platform.
A highlight of the training was the “Action Plan Presentations,” where CSOs pitched their project ideas to the full group. Examples included introducing compost bins at Swan Valley schools, participating in the A.H. Nickless Innovation Competition (John Glenn High School), launching rocket building projects (Hemlock High School), and hosting “Flight Night” events (H.H. Dow High School, Freeland High School, and Swan Valley High School).
This year’s LTI was largely organized by the Great Lakes Bay Region East Leadership Council, with many sessions led by CSOs themselves—demonstrating how youth leaders can effectively inspire and educate their peers.
CSOs also had the chance to connect with local STEM professionals over lunch, with representatives from Dow Chemical, Hemlock Semiconductor, Covenant Healthcare, and Nexteer Automotive sharing insights into regional STEM career opportunities.
Follow @glbr_cso and @cso_international on Instagram to keep up with the exciting Action Plans the Great Lakes Bay East CSOs will bring to life throughout the 2025–2026 year!