Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
Conversations
An Overview of STEM Enrichment Programs
Engaging students with STEM content early and often is key to their successful pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering and math, according to Me’lani Joseph, who recently surveyed STEM enrichment initiatives in Northeast Ohio. She talks about what such programs can do to encourage underrepresented groups to choose STEM careers.
One STEM Career Serving as an Example
How can we create more pathways to STEM careers? We spoke with Dr. Woodrow Whitlow about the path that led to his distinguished career at NASA. Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr. holds a doctorate from MIT and had a decades-long career as a researcher and senior administrator at NASA. He describes how he realized his dreams of working on the space program.
Encouraging STEM as a College Major
Preferences for college majors often are formed years before students set foot on campus, says Basit Zafar, an economics professor at the University of Michigan. Zafar discusses the factors in childhood and adolescence that could encourage or discourage underrepresented groups, like women and minorities, from seeking STEM educations.
An Example of STEM Enrichment Programs
Daniel Zaharopol is the founder of Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM). He describes the support BEAM provides to underserved students to enable them to acquire the math training needed to pursue a STEM education.
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