Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) Discipline for the 21st Century: New Horizons

ABSTRACT: There is little doubt that the United States faces a serious, and growing, challenge to develop and educate enough citizens who can perform jobs that demand skill in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. We do not have enough workers to fill the demand in the short run, and the problem is only likely to get worse in the long run. Addressing the "STEM challenge" is thus a concern of great national priority. President Obama noted that "Strengthening STEM education is vital to preparing our students to compete in the 21st century economy and we need to recruit and train math and science teachers to support our nation's students." (White House Press Release, September 27, 2010). Without high-quality, knowledge-intensive jobs and the innovative enterprises that lead to discovery and new technology, our economy will suffer and our people will face a lower standard of living. The demand for engineers is rising. Yet we are faced with discouraging statistics on the number of students considering engineering careers, and disappointing math and science scores that place U.S. student's performance below many industrialized nations. America is simply not going to have the engineers it needs to stay competitive and remain a world a leader in innovation without more investment. Well-documented trends have been reported nationally of declining interest, poor preparedness, a lack of diverse representation, and low persistence of U.S. students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines A strong foundation in STEM education is essential for all residents of the nation to make informed decisions for themselves, their families and communities, and to prepare for rewarding employment and sustainable careers within growing and emerging industries that make up nation's knowledge and innovation economy. Our society is already faced with difficult decisions about the natural world: fossil fuel consumption and alternative energies, protecting the food water supply, and ensuring the quality of the air we breathe to name just a few. It is essential to ensure that all students understand why it is important to study these areas. Students need to be sufficiently STEM-literate to make informed decisions, illustrate the linkage between STEM education and national economy and provide an example to other students of the contributions they could make to society by entering the STEM program profession, and convene one or more task forces to develop and maintain a multi-decade roadmap for STEM education and the fields that require it, with a goal of ensuring continuing US leadership in knowledge and innovation Recently, however, corporate, government, and national scientific and technical leaders have come together on a single goal with an Advanced STEM education Program to create, deploy, and apply STEM education in ways that radically empower all scientific and engineering research and allied education in the United States that would inevitably improve its future prosperity, social and economic conditions and in particular increase the ability of its citizens to compete for high-quality job