By Joshua Koch
Public Communications
Driving around the Houston-area recently, you may have seen the Texas Mobile STEM Lab hitting the road.
The Texas Mobile STEM Lab is a custom-outfitted STEM learning space. The mobile labs offer a blend of career and skills education, providing flexible in-classroom resources that empower teachers with new skills and content ideas while serving multiple classes simultaneously with engaging, hands-on experiences.
On October 30, Oak Forest Elementary held a STEM Night for all students, since only 3rd, 4th and 5th graders were able to visit the lab during the school day.
“The goal of the event was to provide all students at Oak Forest Elementary with the opportunity to experience the Texas Mobile STEM Lab, while also highlighting our own Robotics Team, Podcast Team, and other STEM programs across the district,” Oak Forest Principal Corinna Ferrier said. “The teams from Summer Creek High School and Kingwood High School joined us to showcase their work, and representatives from Rice University’s STEM department shared information about opportunities in STEM education and brought over their Ozobots.”
The night was also filled with demonstrations from the Oak Forest Elementary Robotics Team, and the podcast team showed how their equipment operates and conducted live interviews with parents for their podcast The Playground – Where Student Voices Come to Play!
Inside the Texas Mobile STEM Lab, parents and students engaged in age-appropriate, hands-on STEM activities together. The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback from families, who greatly enjoyed the experience.
Oak Forest Elementary Sunshine Behavior Coach and Robotics Team Sponsor Raydalia Tyler, fourth grade teacher Sheila DeVillier and campus secretary and Robotics Team Sponsor Jerralynn Ezell collaborated to organize the evening STEM event.
In July, Oak Forest Elementary was notified by TEA Statewide STEM Coordinator Michelle Sedberry that its campus had been selected, following Tyler applying for it, to host the Texas Mobile STEM Lab for one week.
At the end of October, the Texas Mobile STEM Lab parked on campus.
During the school day, 3rd, 4th and 5th-grade students, with parental consent, were given the opportunity to visit the Texas Mobile STEM Lab and participate in hands-on STEM activities.
Onboard the Texas Mobile STEM Lab, students solved engineering design challenges and worked cooperatively to design a product or process using model STEM activities developed by Learning Undefeated, with support from TEA. All activities integrated content knowledge and were TEKS aligned. The Learning Undefeated staff also shared with students job opportunities that involved STEM.
The Texas Mobile STEM Laboratories use Learning Undefeated’s trailer and eight TEA-owned trailers, with advanced technology and laboratory equipment, to create an immersive learning environment for 24 students, their teachers, and a Learning Undefeated facilitator. Technology includes a large format touchscreen TV, surround sound, and LED lighting.
The Texas Mobile STEM Laboratories are self-sufficient with their own water, electricity, heating, and cooling. It is also equipped with a shoreline for electrical power. Other features of the lab include the following:
Chemical-resistant surfaces
Full-time support staff to support teacher professional development and student instruction
Wheelchair-accessible entrances and exits
Flexible outdoor space, convertible fixtures, and movable storage
Classroom teachers had the opportunity to observe Learning Undefeated staff deliver an engineering design challenge from start to finish. During the activity, teachers observed the students engaging in the engineering design process and learning how to facilitate an engineering design challenge during one class period. Learning Undefeated provided the necessary materials to complete the engineering design challenges, which focus on brainstorming, designing, and testing a prototype. This program was offered at no cost to the campus through a grant from TEA.
Photo Caption: Summer Creek High School and Kingwood High School Robotics Team visited Oak Forest Elementary School on their STEM Night on October 30, 2025. Photo courtesy of Oak Forest Elementary X Account.