The State of STEM

Courtney (front row, second from left) at the White House

On January 13, the day after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, more than 100 students were invited to the White House to learn more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and careers.

“You are the most important audience of innovators to have filled these seats,” said John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. “That’s because you represent the future of STEM in this country.”

The fourth annual State of the STEM (SoSTEM) conference allowed budding scientists to learn more about technological breakthroughs. An exhibit featured a website created by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that allows doctors, scientists, and teachers to access 3-D printing materials for free.

Another highlight included a visit from Alvin Drew, a NASA astronaut who has journeyed to the International Space Station. Drew described what it was like to travel at the speed of light. Students also got to Skype with three researchers who are in Antarctica studying the life cycles of penguins.

Holdren addresses students at the STEM event.

“DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES”

I asked Meghan Coakley, a Project Manager for the NIH 3-D Print Exchange, about the value of having more women and people of color involved in STEM fields.

“All of us have different perspectives on how we view the world,” Coakley said. “When you bring people together from different backgrounds, [they] come up with different ideas. The more different ideas you have in a room, the more exciting the things you come up with.”