Sam Stier is the founding director of The Center for Learning With Nature (www.LearningWithNature.org), a non-profit organization that trains and equips teachers to help young people better appreciate the natural world through education, and help their students better realize their educational goals through Nature. For over 15 years, Mr. Stier has been transforming STEM education through his work bringing the fascinating and hopeful practice of Nature-inspired innovation (a.k.a. biomimicry or bio-inspiration) into schools everywhere. The multiple award winning curricula he developed, Engineering Inspired by Nature, helps foster children’s appreciation for the natural world while raising their aspirations and abilities to create a sustainable world. The curricula is now used in hundreds of schools across 71 countries, reaching thousands of young people every year. To support teachers, Sam regularly leads professional development for primary, secondary, and post-secondary educators all over the world, as well as workshops for design professionals. He is also a sought-after public speaker. “Sam Stier’s insight into how nature can change the way we look at STEM and more importantly how we teach and do STEM is truly inspiring. His ideas and thoughts on how educators can inject excitement and passion into their teaching by applying what nature has already figured out was incredible. One of the best keynote speakers we have ever had.” – Dr. Tamara Goetz, Director, Utah STEM Action Center, Utah Governor’s Office of Economic DevelopmentIn addition to directing The Center for Learning with Nature, Mr. Stier serves as a faculty member at both Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, where he teaches science and sustainable design.Sam’s recent book, Engineering Education for the Next Generation: A Nature-Inspired Approach (W.W. Norton & Co.) was published in March 2020. In addition to his education work, Mr. Stier continues a lifetime of biological conservation efforts, most recently helping manage a citizen science project monitoring endangered species on Guam. In 1996, Sam orchestrated the donation of 1.2 million in radio communications equipment to 10 underfunded protected areas to combat poaching. Sam has also served as a sustainability and biomimicry consultant to various companies; an environmental consultant for organizations including The Nature Conservancy, WWF, The World Bank, and others; an Education Fellow with the National Science Foundation; as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer; and as a backcountry ranger with the U.S. Forest Service.