STEM Education

Science • Technology • Engineering • Mathematics

In the years ahead, many of the fastest growing industries across the state and the nation demand a workforce that is capable in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in addition to the arts and humanities. Over 90% of the 8 million STEM jobs projected through 2018 will require at least some college with a range from a professional certification, to Associate’s Degrees, to Bachelor’s Degrees and beyond. The nation also needs 100,000 more STEM teachers over the next ten years.  

Data on the STEM pipeline is daunting. According to the 2012 STEM Vital Signs released by Change the Equation, no state is on track to getting all students the STEM skills they need to succeed in college and careers. Low-income and minority students lag furthest behind.

SUNY plays a powerful role in reversing these trends. 

 

Empire State STEM Learning Network

Empire STEM is a statewide, community-led collaborative. The Network’s mission is to advance STEM education to prepare all students for success in school, work and life to fuel innovation and economic vitality in the Empire State.

“STEM education” refers to the interdisciplinary teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to a level of rigor sufficient to produce critical thinkers and problem solvers across all fields of endeavor who can thrive in the 21st century economy

The Network’s vision provides a roadmap for communities to accelerate the way they learn and compete by leveraging assets, expertise and partnerships:

  • Advocate for policies that advance interdisciplinary, inquiry-based, contextual teaching and learning
  • Contribute to portfolios of effective and/or promising STEM practices and programs
  • Establish platforms for innovative STEM teaching through proven or promising models
  • Develop public/private partnerships that engage diverse stakeholders over the long term

 

The Network’s design principles represent common beliefs held by stakeholders across the state:

  • STEM for All: All students must attain STEM literacy for the Empire State to thrive in the 21st century
  • Systemic Model: A systemic, interdisciplinary approach to STEM teaching and learning is required to prepare the “whole” student for success in work and life
  • Evidence-Based Approach: Effective STEM education must leverage existing assets and embrace new models that reflect real world context, interests and needs of students, teachers, and their communities
  • Open Collaborative Innovation: Innovative STEM education policies, processes and programs must be both scalable and sustainable
  • Committed Stakeholders: Business, PK-20 education, students, parents, community organizations, foundations and government must engage steadfastly, openly, and with ingenuity across a broad spectrum of interests, expertise and capacities to achieve STEM excellence

    

STEM hubs map


For more information on regional hubs, state and national resources, and news and events, click on this map. 

 

 
 

 

 

STEM Afterschool Mentoring Program

SUNY's Office of the Education Pipeline is partnering with the New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy)and SUNY Empire State College to scale a successful after-school program in Brooklyn in which graduate students and postdoctoral fellows mentor middle school students from high-need school districts in STEM. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, SUNY and the Academy will introduce the program in urban and rural communities throughout New York State over the next three years.

Initially, the STEM Afterschool Mentoring Program Statewide Scale-Up Project will be implemented by SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in the Capital District, and SUNYIT in Utica and Rome. The campuses were selected for their geographical diversity, STEM-focused degree programs, and existing partnerships with community-based organizations. Three additional campuses will be selected to participate in the project through an RFP process in 2013-2014.

The project will create a foundation and model from which additional pilot sites can be fostered nationally and will be carried out in three stages:

  • Together, SUNY and the Academy will implement a comprehensive, systemic science education initiative to recruit scientists-in-training (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) studying in the STEM disciplines at pre-identified colleges and universities to serve as mentors in high-need middle school programs. 
  • The scientists-in-training will participate in a new credit-bearing online course, designed with STEM content-specific subject matter and worth three graduate-level academic credits. Faculty from SUNY Empire State College will partner with the Academy and each participating campus to prepare the mentors using the new course. 
  • SUNY campuses will partner with community-based organizations to place mentors in afterschool programs, serving middle school students in high-need, low-resource urban and rural communities.

For the full press release, click here. To learn more about the STEM Mentoring program from students themselves, click on the video below from the Academy’s Science Education web site.

student video

 


Copyright © 2013 The State University of New York. All rights reserved.

SUNY is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. SUNY External Site Disclaimer.

Last Update - 11/20/12