Praxis Week 2025

Each June, upper-school students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of STEM during Praxis Week, a program designed and coordinated by Martha Keeley (Science) to connect classroom learning with its real-world applications.

Industry Exploration

Praxis Week 2025 began with a visit from Pfizer, where students explored the world of pharmaceutical and vaccine development, followed by a hands-on microbiology lab that brought laboratory science into focus.

Students spent the rest of the week venturing across St. Louis for a closer look at STEM in a range of industries. At the Federal Reserve Bank, they learned how data science informs economic systems, while a visit to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, featuring HOK, highlighted the intersection of architecture, structural engineering, and construction in infrastructure projects.

Partnerships with local universities added academic depth. At Washington University's McKelvey School of Engineering, students explored fields including electrical and systems engineering, energy systems, and chemical and environmental engineering. Meanwhile, at Saint Louis University's Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, students gained insight into the physics and mechanical principles that make flight possible.

JBS Connections

One highlight of the Praxis Week program is its engagement with the broader Burroughs community. Throughout the week, several alums and a current parent working in STEM spent time sharing their expertise and career experiences with students.

Zoom calls connected students with JBS alums in the early stages of their professional journeys. Mike Jin '09, PhD, Sahil Lele '14, Sydney Lister '17, Rosalind Shinkle '14, Cori Spetnagel '22, and Elena Stettin '15 represented diverse paths in computer science, technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and civil engineering, demonstrating the breadth of opportunities available to STEM-focused students.

Several field trips also featured JBS alums. At Bayer Crop Science, students delved into biotechnology, data science, and agricultural engineering. They also met Sasha Kweskin '98, PhD, a delivery scientist focused on developing technologies for new and emerging agricultural solutions.

At Zavation, a medical device company focused on spinal solutions, neurosurgeon Victor Williams '89, MD, spoke about biomedical engineering and led students through a neurosurgery simulation.

At Cortex, St. Louis’s innovation hub, students met JBS parent Matthew MacEwan, PhD (Ava '28, Felicity '30), founder of Acera Surgical. He discussed advancements in regenerative medicine and led a Shark Tank-style simulation, which gave students the chance to consider and pitch scientific solutions to real-world problems through the lens of business.