The Importance of STEMAlthough STEM is becoming a trend in the 21st Century, many people are not clear on the benefits of STEM education. Here, I would like to elaborate on the significance of STEM and share some statistics and wisdom.
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Who Cares about STEM?
After hosting my first two webinars, I noticed a problem. A big problem. Many people just didn't seem to show interest in the fields that were presented. Now from the marketing perspective, you may think that, "Oh, why don't I just do surveys, and tests, and collect data about what career would the majority of the community like to learn about?" So, was it just poor marketing and outreach? I was quite perplexed and confused about why many people weren't attending my webinars. After periods of constant thinking, research, and imagination, I realized that many people never understood why they should care about being involved in STEM. Like, who cares about STEM? Why do you want us to be involved? So, I realized that in order to expand my ultimate goal of providing fundamental STEM education to the masses, I needed to speak about the importance of STEM and why people should care about it. So here is a short article elaborating on why STEM matters!
First, STEM is growing at a fast rate. The Education Commission of the States reports that the number of STEM jobs will grow 13 percent between 2017-2027. The need for STEM professionals currently exemplifies the urgency to solve all sorts of prominent issues. This leads me to my second point.
I personally see STEM as a means to gain the fundamental pieces of knowledge to solve problems. Most of our global issues are founded in the principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Take climate change for example. Just the name of "climate change" exemplifies the aspect of science, engineering, technology, and math in order to analyze trends and design solutions. Take a look at the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015. These are goals that the United Nations wants us to achieve by 2030 through a collaborative, global effort in order to achieve sustainable development. The majority of those issues lie in the foundations of STEM. See, by educated our generation about the multitude of STEM opportunities, students will not only be equipped for a fast-changing future, but they will be supplied with the necessary knowledge and skill set to tackle global issues. Students will be driven to be problem-solvers, critical-thinkers, and collaborative members of the STEM community. To me, this is what stands out about STEM education.
First, STEM is growing at a fast rate. The Education Commission of the States reports that the number of STEM jobs will grow 13 percent between 2017-2027. The need for STEM professionals currently exemplifies the urgency to solve all sorts of prominent issues. This leads me to my second point.
I personally see STEM as a means to gain the fundamental pieces of knowledge to solve problems. Most of our global issues are founded in the principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Take climate change for example. Just the name of "climate change" exemplifies the aspect of science, engineering, technology, and math in order to analyze trends and design solutions. Take a look at the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015. These are goals that the United Nations wants us to achieve by 2030 through a collaborative, global effort in order to achieve sustainable development. The majority of those issues lie in the foundations of STEM. See, by educated our generation about the multitude of STEM opportunities, students will not only be equipped for a fast-changing future, but they will be supplied with the necessary knowledge and skill set to tackle global issues. Students will be driven to be problem-solvers, critical-thinkers, and collaborative members of the STEM community. To me, this is what stands out about STEM education.
“Science is more than a school subject, or the periodic table or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world.”
- Barack Obama
Now I know that many kids are interested in the money-making aspect of STEM. And the truth is, STEM is indeed a very high-paying area. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM occupations held a median annual wage of $86,980 in 2019, which is significantly high compared to non-STEM jobs. In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce states that STEM workers earn about 26% more than non-STEM workers, thus adding to lucrative aspect of STEM.
But it's not about the money as well. It's also about empowering women and the minorities to engage in STEM. According to a research project spearheaded by Girls Who Code and National Girls Collaborative Project, 74% of middle school girls express an interest in engineering, science, and math. But what is more staggering is that women compose 28% of the STEM workforce, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project. On the aspect of minorities, 40% of black students and 37% of Latino students switch out of STEM majors before earning a degree, according to Education Researcher. You may be asking why now, and the reason is that these minority students receive minimal academic resources and opportunities that would prepare students for the extensive STEM work. And they also face immense discrimination and bias that discourages them to pursue their passions. STEM is also about empowering not just the majority, but the minority to a higher level. Getting them educated by providing accessible academic resources is the best way our society can progress toward solving problems and innovation.
Now where does Open Gears come into play? Simply put, Open Gears provides students of all kinds with the opportunity to explore a variety of STEM fields and careers. We host free webinars and events with college students and professionals working in STEM so that students can hear and interact with speakers. Attending these webinars provides students with a breath of insight that may, in the future, propel them to do internships, execute deeper interviews, and ultimately earn a degree in a STEM field that they are interested in just by listening to one of our webinars. In all, we went to provide students with immense knowledge about STEM careers and give them the foundational guidance to pursue a career of their interest.
So, I highly encourage you to follow the Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube social media outreach links listed in the "Contact" page of the website. I also encourage you to attend our free webinars and events so that you can gain exposure to a variety of STEM careers and propel your interests to new levels.
As a student of a STEM school, I was grateful for the opportunity to learn about STEM. I now start thinking about how I can utilize my knowledge and skill set to make a difference in the world. I may not be as intelligent as Albert Einstein, but I have the passion, the ambition, and motivation to indulge in STEM. And this passion is what I want to spread to my community through Open Gears.
But it's not about the money as well. It's also about empowering women and the minorities to engage in STEM. According to a research project spearheaded by Girls Who Code and National Girls Collaborative Project, 74% of middle school girls express an interest in engineering, science, and math. But what is more staggering is that women compose 28% of the STEM workforce, according to the National Girls Collaborative Project. On the aspect of minorities, 40% of black students and 37% of Latino students switch out of STEM majors before earning a degree, according to Education Researcher. You may be asking why now, and the reason is that these minority students receive minimal academic resources and opportunities that would prepare students for the extensive STEM work. And they also face immense discrimination and bias that discourages them to pursue their passions. STEM is also about empowering not just the majority, but the minority to a higher level. Getting them educated by providing accessible academic resources is the best way our society can progress toward solving problems and innovation.
Now where does Open Gears come into play? Simply put, Open Gears provides students of all kinds with the opportunity to explore a variety of STEM fields and careers. We host free webinars and events with college students and professionals working in STEM so that students can hear and interact with speakers. Attending these webinars provides students with a breath of insight that may, in the future, propel them to do internships, execute deeper interviews, and ultimately earn a degree in a STEM field that they are interested in just by listening to one of our webinars. In all, we went to provide students with immense knowledge about STEM careers and give them the foundational guidance to pursue a career of their interest.
So, I highly encourage you to follow the Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube social media outreach links listed in the "Contact" page of the website. I also encourage you to attend our free webinars and events so that you can gain exposure to a variety of STEM careers and propel your interests to new levels.
As a student of a STEM school, I was grateful for the opportunity to learn about STEM. I now start thinking about how I can utilize my knowledge and skill set to make a difference in the world. I may not be as intelligent as Albert Einstein, but I have the passion, the ambition, and motivation to indulge in STEM. And this passion is what I want to spread to my community through Open Gears.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
- Benjamin Franklin
Sources that I used:
https://education.fsu.edu/importance-stem-education-elementary-school
https://www.builtbyme.com/statistics-facts-women-in-stem/
https://eab.com/insights/daily-briefing/student-success/a-third-of-minority-students-leave-stem-majors-heres-why/
https://www.idtech.com/blog/stem-education-statistics
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0013189X19831006?journalCode=edra
https://education.fsu.edu/importance-stem-education-elementary-school
https://www.builtbyme.com/statistics-facts-women-in-stem/
https://eab.com/insights/daily-briefing/student-success/a-third-of-minority-students-leave-stem-majors-heres-why/
https://www.idtech.com/blog/stem-education-statistics
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0013189X19831006?journalCode=edra