Maker Faire: The Greatest Show and Tell on Earth

There are Maker Fairs all over the world, and they are all about innovation. According to Maker Media, Maker Fairs are filled with the excitement and energy of a county fair. They are our school science fairs and innovation conventions expanded with the minds of all ages and subject areas such as science, engineering, art, performance, and crafts. Maker Fair participants are given the opportunity to show how they created their idea or product and what their creation can do. If there’s a Maker Fair coming to your community, encourage your students to attend and perhaps even participate.

The Maker movement promotes a DIY (Do It Yourself) attitude. It’s about practical learning and creativity. For the many students who don’t find school subjects interesting, the concept of creating brings action into STEM studies. Students become inventors, developers, designers, programmers, mathematicians, and scientists while still in school.

Inspiring Girls in STEM

The Huffington Post article, “This Is What Inspires Girls in STEM”, includes answers to the question, “What inspires you?”, which was asked of over 1000 who were interested, aspiring to, or engaged in STEM careers.  Their answers included the ability to: make a positive impact on people’s lives, be involved in research to find a cure for diseases, move society away from “misunderstanding and ignorance”, learn how to sustain life, give students memorable scientific experiences, discover what we do not know, make the most of my abilities, protect the natural surroundings I love, explore all things “bizarre”, learn about the power of the human mind—the list goes on.  The answers are enough to inspire, aren’t they? A 19-year-old biology researcher and scientific writer answered with this phrase, “The sensation of beginning to understand something which cannot be comprehended, like the size of the universe.”

Map of Gender Gap In Science

A UNESCO Gender Gap in Science map from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, October 2012, is called a rough picture, because data from the United States, Canada, China, and some other countries are missing. The reason given was “lack of data.” Even so, the map is quite interesting. It shows that South America is doing a good job of including women in science careers, while most European, African, and Asian countries aren’t. According to Eileen Pollack of the New York Times, the problem of gender inequality in science isn’t due to differences in gender, but rather differences in culture. 

As for how the United States would do on this map, Pollack writes, “Only one-fifth of physics Ph.D’s in this country are awarded to women, and only about half of those women are American; of all the physics professors in the united States, only 14% are women.” That’s only physics, but . . . .

STEM Jobs by 2018

We hear so much about future job opportunities for students who excel in STEM subjects, but exactly what types of careers in these areas are predicted to be the most promising? According to data from US-BLS Employment Projections, 2008-2018, 71% of jobs will be related to computing, 16% in traditional engineering, 4% in life sciences, 2% in mathematics, and 7% in physical sciences. When the Computer job area is segmented, it looks like 27% of jobs will be available in software engineering, 21% in computer networking, 10% in systems analysis, 2% in database administration, 7% in computer support, 1% in research, and 3% other.

Considering these statistics, schools would be wise to offer both introductory courses in computer science as well as Advanced Placement courses.

Moving Students Ahead in STEM Subjects

Students entering Deptford High School and many other high schools throughout the nation can select a program that includes college-level courses in engineering, robotics, and Computer-Aided Design. The Deptford program will follow the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum, which is now used in schools in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.  The PLTW program considers classrooms as innovation zones where hands-on learning and critical thinking take place.

Innovators Under Age 35

MIT Technology Review has released its annual list of innovators under age 35. It’s a “celebration of people who are driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs”.  The list of inventors, entrepreneurs, visionaries, humanitarians, and pioneers is sure to motivate your students. Problems addressed by the innovators include identity theft, 3-D moving images, prediction of events, cyber attacks, jobless economic recovery, personal robotics, recessive genes, inputting of text into computers, underdeveloped nations, disease, and energy.

Hollywood’s STEM Connections

Texas Instruments (TI) together with the Science & Engineering Exchange,  a program of the National Academy of Sciences has created STEM BEHIND HOLLYWOOD. The program, which features free STEM activities for students, is available for use on TI-Nspire CX handhelds, TI-Nspire Teacher and Student Software, and TI-Nspire Apps for iPad.  With the program, your students will learn about the science and math behind Hollywood’s depictions of superheroes, zombies, space travels, and forensics. Available now is the STEM OF THE LIVING DEAD or the Zombie Apocalypse. Students take on what brings zombies to life as they investigate a Zombie disease that is spreading throughout the world.

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Good News: Students & Math & Science

A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics relates the good news that more students are opting for rigorous courses in the STEM subjects. For example, the percentage of students taking calculus increased from 7% to 16% between 1990 and 2009. The percentage of those taking chemistry in 1990 was 49% and in 2009, 70%. Percentages of students in Grades 9-12 taking physics went from 21% in 1990 to 36% in 2009.  Racial/ethnic group percentages for math and science increased during this time period, as well. The report also found that students enrolled in private schools were more likely to select advanced level STEM courses than those in public schools.

U.S. Physics Team

High school and college students are eligible to compete for a spot on the U.S. Physics Team. Teachers may nominate up to two students to take the preliminary exam; registration must be completed by 12/10/12. The top-scoring 300-400 students will be given a semifinal exam.  Some of those taking the semifinal may be invited to join the team. Team members must agree to attend a training camp and be available to represent the U.S. at international competitions.  The team is sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), which also sponsors Physics Day at Six Flags America, Team American Rocketry Challenge, the International Science and Engineering Fair, the AAPT Physics Bowl, and the High School Physics Photo Competition.

App Challenge from Verizon & Technology Student Association

The Innovative App Challenge encourages middle and high school students to get to work creating “design concepts for mobile apps that integrate STEM and address a problem in the students’ school or community.” Verizon has made available help via instructional videos for students who wish to take on this challenge. Five middle schools and five high schools will each receive a cash grant of $10,000 in addition to “training and support to build the apps and bring them to market.”  Registration opened mid-October 2012.  All entries must be submitted between December 1 2012 and January 18, 2013.