Knob Noster Public Schools educator Ruth Adams will take on two new STEM leadership roles for the 2026–2027 school year, giving her the opportunity to represent Knob Noster at both the state and national level.
Adams, a K–5 Robotics Specials Teacher and FIRST Robotics Coordinator for Knob Noster Public Schools, has been selected as a 2026–2027 Department of War (DoW) STEM Ambassador. She is one of only 30 educators from across the country selected for this year’s cohort.
Adams was nominated for the program by FIRST, an organization she has worked closely with for years through Knob Noster’s robotics programs. As part of her Ambassador role, she will continue working with FIRST throughout the year to support STEM outreach and help create more opportunities for students and educators.
At the same time, Adams has also been selected to serve as the FIRST Senior Mentor for the State of Missouri. In this role, she will work with FIRST teams, coaches, mentors, educators, volunteers, and communities across the state to help strengthen and grow FIRST programs.
While both positions take her work outside of Knob Noster, Adams says one of the things she is most excited about is what she can bring back home.
Bringing New Opportunities Back to Knob Noster
Throughout the DoW STEM Ambassador year, Adams will work alongside educators and STEM leaders from across the country, sharing ideas, learning about new resources, and finding ways to connect students with STEM education and future careers.
One of the biggest pieces of the program will be developing an Impact Project that expands STEM outreach, access, or opportunities for students, with a special emphasis on military-connected youth.
That part of the program is especially meaningful in Knob Noster because of the district’s close relationship with Whiteman Air Force Base and the large number of military-connected students and families it serves.
For Adams, this is also a chance to build on work that has already been happening in Knob Noster for years.
Through K–5 Robotics and the district’s FIRST programs, students are introduced to robotics, engineering, coding, design, and problem solving at an early age. As they get older, they have opportunities to continue through the FIRST progression and eventually into FRC Team 6424, Stealth Panther Robotics.
The goal has never been just to teach kids how to build robots. Robotics gives students a place to learn how to solve problems, work as a team, communicate, lead, fail, try again, and discover things they may not have known they were capable of doing.
That idea is at the heart of Team 6424’s philosophy: “The Robot Builds Us.”
From Missouri to a National STEM Community
As Missouri’s FIRST Senior Mentor, Adams will have the opportunity to work with programs throughout the state, sharing resources and helping teams and communities build sustainable FIRST programs.
Her DoW STEM Ambassador role takes that collaboration to the national level.
The Ambassador program runs from September 2026 through July 2027 and brings together educators for professional learning, collaboration, projects, and monthly Community of Practice sessions.
Adams will also travel to Washington, D.C., October 8–9, 2026, for the DoW STEM Ambassador Fall Convening. The two-day event will bring the 30 Ambassadors together to learn more about DoW STEM careers, STEM ecosystems, work-based learning, and ways to expand STEM opportunities for students.
Throughout the year, Adams will develop her Impact Project, create a STEM resource video, participate in a conference presentation, and create a portfolio documenting the work and its impact.
For Adams, however, the value of both positions comes down to what they can do for students.
The connections she makes across Missouri as FIRST Senior Mentor and nationally as a DoW STEM Ambassador can open doors to new resources, partnerships, ideas, and STEM career opportunities. Just as importantly, they give Adams a chance to share what Knob Noster has built and what a strong robotics program can look like in a small school district with a unique military-connected community.
The Robot Builds Us — and opportunities like this help us build what comes next.