John Suarez, Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement, co-organized and conducted the “STEM IS Civic Discourse” event in SUNY’s Public Good U Conference from Feb. 7 to 9 in Albany, N.Y. He facilitated an event in which 18 faculty and staff members applied civic discourse guidelines in the context of STEM innovations that posed societal challenges. Over Zoom, Nirav Patel, University of Colorado Boulder, provided a rationale and guidelines for discussion. By the end of the session, participants noted the importance of information literacy skills, understanding people’s personal connections to issues and the skills needed to manage class discussions that could go in directions not anticipated by the educator. In fall 2026, SUNY will launch its new Civic Discourse course competency.