No experience needed
Start with opportunities where the organizer clearly welcomes people without prior knowledge.
Tennessee STEM connection engine
Find your people. Build something together.
Discover Tennessee workshops, clubs, competitions, talks, maker spaces, and beginner-friendly STEM communities without digging through disconnected calendars.
Beginner path Solo-friendly guidance Free options Hands-on choices
Choose a starting point
What sounds most like you right now?
I want something this week
Start with verified workshops, talks, competitions, and build nights happening soon.
See what is happeningI am completely new
Use a plain-language path designed for curiosity, not credentials or technical vocabulary.
Open beginner modeI want people, not another feed
Find organizations, labs, maker spaces, and communities you can return to after one event ends.
Find my peopleI want to build something
Look for hackathons, robotics, coding, hardware, maker, and community science opportunities.
Find hands-on optionsFind your STEM people
Start with the thing you cannot stop thinking about.
Interest is enough to begin. Each path leads into verified Tennessee events, organizations, researchers, and participation opportunities.
AI + data
Meetups, workshops, research, and practical learning
Robotics
Teams, competitions, demos, and build sessions
Coding
Beginner workshops, developer groups, and hackathons
Space + science
Astronomy, museums, public talks, and research
Makers + hardware
Maker spaces, electronics, fabrication, and prototyping
Game development
Game jams, creative technology, and builder groups
Quantum
Public lectures, research pathways, and university programs
Radio + engineering
Amateur radio, systems, electronics, and field projects
Beginner mode
You do not need to already feel like a STEM person.
Pick one low-pressure experience. Learn what happens there. Meet one person. Leave with a clearer next step.
Find beginner-friendly optionsEasy to attend alone
Prioritize structured activities, guided workshops, and settings where participation creates conversation.
Short and manageable
Choose an activity that fits into one evening instead of committing to a long program immediately.
Students and adults welcome
STEM participation is not limited to one campus, one age group, or people already working in tech.
Build something
Watching is fine. Making something is better.
Look for hackathons, robotics workshops, maker-space sessions, game jams, hardware nights, open labs, research challenges, and technical volunteer projects.
Hands-onTeams can form thereEquipment may be providedLeave with a project
Browse build opportunities One small project can introduce you to an entire community.
Places and networks to return to
Events create moments. Communities create momentum.
These verified Tennessee organizations are starting points for finding programs, facilities, people, and recurring activity. Confirm public access and current schedules at the official source.
Vanderbilt University
Nashville
Research university with public lectures, engineering programs, and community STEM outreach.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge
National lab with public science events, research pathways, and regional tech programs.
Adventure Science Center
Nashville
Hands-on science museum and planetarium programs for families and first-timers.
Tennessee Tech University
Cookeville
Engineering-focused public university with statewide STEM and research activity.
Help someone find their people.
Submit an event, recurring meetup, club, workshop, competition, volunteer project, public lecture, or confirmed giveaway. Every submission enters review before publication.
Official sources and participation claims must be verifiable.