President Obama debuted more than $240 million in new STEM commitments this week at the fifth annual White House Science Fair.
While some are lauding the effort as a solution to today’s worsening STEM skills crisis, others believe the Administration may have missed the mark.
At any rate, it’s great to see the conversations take center stage with such a high level of visibility.
University Engineering Will Take on 21st Century Problems
One change we’re particularly excited to see is the 120+ university engineering programs that will announce their plans to launch “Grand Challenge” Scholars Programs on their campuses, training 20,000 future engineers to take on 21st century challenges.
Students in these programs will be able to structure their undergraduate experience around a pressing “Grand Challenge” like reverse engineering the brain or making solar energy economical.
Not only will this give students the interdisciplinary skills they need to enter the workforce but it also breeds a workforce that is able and excited to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
The key to success here will be sharing education resources and best practices to make sure every program is effective.
Industry Partnership Will Fuel PreK-12 STEM Education
We’re also glad to see the expansion of Change the Equation, an industry CEO coalition committed to elevating STEM literacy in PreK-12 schools and ensuring high standards, like Next Generation Science Standards.
We’re a fan of the coalitions’ STEMworks programs Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA) and STEMulate Change in Delaware so the additional 1.5 million students the White House is committing to reach through Change the Equation this year is a validation of the success the coalition has already achieved.
You can read more about all of the White House’s more than $240 million in new STEM commitments here.
What do you think about these plans?
