37,000 Northern New Mexico Students Reached by the Inquiry Science Education Consortium (ISEC)
July 1, 2025
ESPAÑOLA NM – This month, the LANL Foundation and its partners commemorated 15 years of transformative STEM education through the Inquiry Science Education Consortium (ISEC) Program. As the program concludes its final year, the Foundation reflects on its legacy and looks ahead to bold, community-driven strategies for advancing STEM education in Northern New Mexico.
Launched in 2010, the ISEC Program brought hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math experiences directly into K-6 public school classrooms across the region. Through the delivery of high-quality instructional materials and comprehensive teacher training, ISEC empowered educators and inspired curiosity in thousands of students.
To honor the program’s impact, educators, school and district leaders, LANL Foundation staff, and community partners gathered at the Foundation’s Española offices for a celebration recognizing the individuals who made ISEC possible.
“The conclusion of the ISEC Program is bittersweet for both myself and the LANL Foundation,” said Gwen Perea Warniment, Ph.D., President & CEO of the LANL Foundation. “We are deeply proud of the difference ISEC has made in classrooms throughout Northern New Mexico. Its legacy will live on as we embrace new, innovative approaches to STEM education that reflect the evolving needs of our communities and continue to invest heavily in our educators and schools.”
Over the life of the program, the LANL Foundation invested more than $10 million via the ISEC Program in support of science education, reaching 37,000 students in nearly 50 schools, and equipping 270 classrooms with hands-on STEM kits carefully assembled and distributed by the Foundation’s dedicated warehouse staff based in Chimayó. As the program concludes, participating schools and districts have been invited to retain materials for continued classroom use.
A cornerstone of ISEC’s success has been its commitment to teacher leadership. The ISEC Teacher Leader Cadre evolved into a formal fellowship in 2023, offering professional development and leadership opportunities for dozens of teachers across the region. This initiative will continue beyond ISEC, with the Foundation maintaining its Teacher Leader Fellowship to uplift educators as changemakers within their schools and communities.
The decision to sunset the ISEC Program stems from a combination of factors: updated state education standards, increased district autonomy, valuable partner feedback, and expanded support for STEM education at both the state and local levels. These shifts open the door for the LANL Foundation to pursue systemic and forward-looking STEM efforts, including:
- Developing an Indigenous Science Curriculum co-created with tribal communities;
- Designing a regional STEM Education Framework for Northern New Mexico;
- Providing direct grant support to schools and community-based STEM initiatives aligned to this framework;
- Advocating for the establishment of a statewide STEM innovation network through successful increased legislative funding and partnerships; and more
As the Foundation honors the close of a milestone program, it also reaffirms its commitment to cultivating inclusive, innovative, and equitable education opportunities for Northern New Mexico educators, students, and communities.
