Leaders in Industry and Academia Gather to Discuss Reversing the STEM Tide
On Friday, November 6, 2009, key leaders in business, academia, and secondary education from across the state gathered to discuss how to engage students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, to help prepare them, and the U.S., to compete in the global marketplace. The event, which included an impressive line-up of speakers, moderators, and attendees, was the result of a team effort by several individuals, most notably: Larissa Schelkin, CEO and Co-Founding Director of The Diversity and Outreach in Mathematics and Engineering (DOME) Foundation; Lee Silvestre, Vice President of Mission Innovation for Raytheon; and Lisa Aucoin, Director of Mobile Maritime Sensor WIN Initiative for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. Titled “Staying in the STEM Pipeline,” the symposium was co-sponsored by the Metro North Regional Employment Board, and held at Raytheon Corporation in Woburn, MA.
Dr. Daniel Hastings, MIT Dean for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering Systems, was a featured speaker at the event. Citing the growing need to cultivate a new generation of STEM professionals in the U.S., Dr. Hastings voiced the importance of developing a multi-pronged strategy, which involves leaders in both the public and private sector, to encourage and prepare students to pursue careers in one of the STEM areas. Dr. Hastings explained that as part of this approach, high school guidance counselors and educators need to develop a firm grasp of what professionals in the STEM occupations do on a daily basis. Dr. Hastings also emphasized the importance of getting teachers and guidance counselors excited about the STEM fields, to help open doors for their students by empowering them with both information and enthusiasm.
Keynote speaker Lisa Aucoin said that as a company which employs over 70,000 workers in the STEM fields, Raytheon is experiencing these challenges first-hand. Raytheon has responded by sponsoring a wide range of research and programmatic efforts. For example, their Stand and Deliver Corporate Campus program pairs corporate volunteers with high school students to provide academic support to help prepare students for the MCAS exam. Another Raytheon STEM outreach project, Math Moves U, is an innovative online program that was developed specifically for middle school students. Through an interactive, web-based game, Math Moves U is designed to effectively communicate and reinforce math concepts by integrating them with subjects that are of common interest among students in this age range, such as sports, music and fashion.
Other initiatives in the state include the Massachusetts-based Tapping America’s Potential (TAP) Coalition, which is comprised of 15 leading business organizations that have joined forces to “voice the community’s deep concern about sustaining U.S. scientific and technological leadership into the future.” The group’s efforts are driven by two primary goals: to increase the number of college students receiving bachelor degrees in STEM areas, placing particular emphasis on underrepresented populations; and, to increase the number of STEM teachers in middle and high schools across the state. More information on this initiative can be obtained from the Massachusetts Business Round Table, www.marountable.com.
In addition, The Metro South/West Regional Employment Board has developed Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology (LIFT2). This year-long program provides teachers with the information and tools required to cultivate a learning environment that will help motivate their students to pursue careers in the STEM fields.
Further information on current STEM-related activities will soon be posted on the Metro North Regional Employment Board Web site: www.mnreb.org.
To learn more about the DOME Foundation, please visit www.domefoundation.org.
Tags: Daniel Hastings, Dome Foundation, Metro North REB, Metro North Regional Employment Board, Raytheon, Schelkin, STEM