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Government
Obama threatens to veto House science research funding bill (Washington Times)
The White House on Monday night threatened to veto a House science, technology and innovation funding bill, saying the legislation makes unacceptably steep cuts for the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. The administration also argues that the America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2015 would undermine efforts to enact regulations. The measure contains a provision that would prohibit the Energy Department, for example, from using the results of federally funded scientific research when developing rules and regulations. ?This provision would set an extremely harmful precedent of political interference in the scientific integrity of the regulation process, which would undermine the value of the federal research and development enterprise as a whole,? the White House said..
Top Air Force scientist: More STEM-educated troops needed (Air Force Times)
The military needs to address its challenge of having enough [STEM] expertise to keep up with the technology advancements of potential adversaries, the Air Force's top scientist said Wednesday. While the Air Force has been more successful than other services in recruiting scientists and engineers, the military as a whole needs to appeal to a sense of service and patriotism to recruit the best talent, Air Force Chief Scientist Mica Endsley said. The military should "appeal to scientists and engineers who don't want to just make the cool app, they want to make something of value," Endsley told reporters at the Pentagon. "Something that could save lives. Something that could make us stronger as a country." 
Foundations
Alcoa Foundation hires Cone to promote STEM effort (PRWeek)
Alcoa Foundation, the nonprofit arm of lightweight metals company Alcoa, has hired Cone Communications to promote its US manufacturing team at the WorldSkills Competition in August. Cone, which began working on the account in March following an RFP, will support the organization?s sponsorship of the SkillsUSA team in the Manufacturing Team Challenge at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition in S?o Paolo, Brazil, this summer. The competition is one of the largest technical education and skills events and brings together students from all over the world.
Ingenuity awarded grant for more STEM programming (Baltimore Brew)
The Ingenuity Project has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to bring supplemental STEM programming to 500 high-achieving Baltimore middle-school students. Ingenuity provides about 530 of Baltimore?s advanced 6-12th graders with a [STEM] curriculum and is hosted by three Baltimore City middle schools ? Mount Royal, Hamilton, Roland Park ? and one high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly). The grant will fund a pilot program, a series of advanced STEM team challenges to give students hands-on experience in problem solving and exposure to careers not otherwise offered in traditional classrooms, according to a statement from Ingenuity.
Diversity in STEM
Making Computer Science More Inviting: A Look at What Works (New York Times)
When Sonja Khan started college, she?d never thought of studying computer science. But when she heard from friends that the intro class was good, she decided to give it a try ? and then ended up majoring in it. Four years later, she has just graduated with a computer science degree, is pursuing a master?s degree and is headed to a summer internship at Facebook. ?I didn?t even know anything about the field before; I had never considered it,? she said. ?I signed up for it pretty much on a whim and really enjoyed it.? Ms. Khan?s story reads like a dream for universities and technology companies ? where only about 15 percent of computer science graduates and technical workers are women.
University of Washington wins $100K from Google for encouraging women to study computer science (GeekWire)
The University of Washington?s computer science department today won a $100,000 top prize from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). The NCWIT, a 10-year-old non-profit that promotes women?s participation in computing, picked the UW?s CSE program based on ?significant gains? made in increasing women enrolling and graduating from its department. ?These accomplishments are the result of strategic, well-planned recruiting and retention efforts,? Lucy Thomas, co-founder and CEO of NCWIT, told GeekWire.
STEM Events
U.S. News Announces STEM Leadership Hall of Fame Award Winners (U.S. News & World Report)
U.S. News & World Report, host of the national STEM Solutions Conference and publisher of the STEM Index, today announced the recipients of the 2015 U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame Awards. The Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at a special ceremony during the 2015 U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference, taking place June 29 ? July 1.. in San Diego. The 2015 U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame award winners are: Craig R. Barrett, Ph.D., Retired CEO/Chairman, Intel Corporation; Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., Chairman, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation; Maria Klawe, Ph.D., President, Harvey Mudd College; Shirley Malcom, Ph.D., Head of Education and Human Resources Programs, AAAS; Eduardo J. Padr?n, Ph.D., President, Miami Dade College.
Reports
The Millennial Myth: Why Generational Labels Don't Work For Hiring (Forbes)
If companies want to find the Millennials with the right skills for their needs, they will require a different way of thinking about them. Instead of lumping tens of millions of people into one category, or trying to segment them into smaller ? but still too-large ? categories, corporate America should be using the tools that Millennials know well ? specifically, a data-centric technology approach to finding the right targets for recruitment and, ultimately, advancement. Because contrary to the headlines, a significant number of Millennials have their eye on the C-suite. More than half aspire to become the leader or senior executive within their current organization, according to Deloitte?s 2015 Millennial Survey. That same survey found that only 28% of Millennials feel their current organization is making full use of their skills.
STEM Media
Energy Companies Step In To Fund STEM Education (NPR)
It's a common refrain from policymakers, business leaders and parents - more STEM.. But strong STEM programs are often too expensive for schools, and energy companies are increasingly footing the bill. Wyoming Public Radio's Aaron Schrank reports. QEP hopped on the STEM bandwagon last year, giving more than a million dollars to programs in states like Wyoming, North Dakota and Utah. Most big energy companies have upped support for STEM in recent years. Chevron will shell out $30 million this year, mostly to schools in California, Texas and Pennsylvania. QEP's Vangas says industry is really leading the STEM charge.
Higher Education
USU adds first doctorate program in aerospace engineering (KSL)
Utah?s first doctorate program in aerospace will start welcoming students at Utah State University this fall. The Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering was approved by the Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents on May 15. The College of Engineering at USU will start offering the program for the fall semester. The program will focus on the design, development and testing of rockets, spacecraft, airplanes and missiles. USU has previously only offered a master?s degree in aerospace engineering.
Utah
Parents, educators debate new science standards in Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City Tribune)
Opponents of a proposed set of school science standards made a final pitch to state education managers Tuesday during the last of five informational meetings organized by the Utah State Office of Education. Before the meeting, a group of roughly 15 people met at the Day-Riverside Library to review their concerns and strategize. They were then joined by roughly 50 others at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education, where they spoke against the nationalization of science education and the inclusion of what they consider controversial topics in middle school classrooms. "This is about science, but on a more important level this is about freedom," Christel Swasey said. "Academic freedom has to continue."
Florida
State: Math end-of-course exams won?t factor in grades (Tamba Bay Tribune)
Florida students no longer have to worry that new state tests could ruin their final grades in algebra or geometry. State education officials announced Monday that scores on end-of-course exams in Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and geometry won?t have to count this year as 30 percent of students? final grade in the class. The change was made because education officials want to study whether the new Florida Standards Assessment tests are educationally valid, and the study is not expected to be finished until September. The Florida Department of Education alerted superintendents in a memo that they have leeway to decide how to calculate final grades in those courses.
STEM Food & Ag
Local Food, Local Learning (Modern Farmer)
 Whether you dream of being a farmer one day or you?re already a farmer with hopes of expanding your business, many plots from coast to coast are being converted into teaching and research centers that can help you achieve your agricultural aspirations. In the northeast, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub is one such place?and as its organizers gear up for the launch of its professional farming training program slated to begin in the next year, the model just might inspire similar projects across the country. ?There?s a lot that?s developing right now, and this is what we would say is our second transition year,? says Brooke Pickering-Cole, manager of community relations for the Local Economies Project, the nonprofit that operates the Farm Hub. ?We?re trying to create something new here. There really isn?t a road map for this project.? |
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Stay Connected       
 STEMconnector?
Reasoning Mind wins Deloitte RightStep(TM) Innovation Prize
 Deloitte, as part of its ongoing commitment to developing tomorrow?s leaders, announced the winner of its RightStep(TM) Innovation Prize, Reasoning Mind, an organization committed to providing a first-rate math education for every child. Learning math skills has proven to be a critical step in preparing students for college. For example, studies show that students who complete at least Algebra II in high school are twice as likely to complete a four-year college degree. However, 74 percent of our nation?s 12th graders are not proficient in math. Reasoning Mind seeks to address this issue head on by changing the way students learn math skills. Deloitte?s cash award and pro bono services will help the organization scale their proven solution to reach more students across the country.
Watch, Re-Watch or Share our How the Internet of Things (IoT) is Changing Business and Our Future Workforce Town Hall!
 Thank you to everyone who joined us on Google+ for the #STEMIoT TownHall. We'd especially like to thank our excellent panel of speakers: John Stuart (Senior VP of Global Academic Program, PTC) Rob Atkinson (President, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation), Jim Shertzer (FARMserver Lead, Beck's Hybrids), Ben Varghese (Emerging Technology Consultant, Cisco Systems), Danny Williams (Platform Architecture Lead, Monsanto), Earl Newsome (Corporate CIO and Vice President, Digital, TE Connectivity), and Lenworth Gordon (New Product Development Strategic Solutions, Verizon). You can watch, re-watch, or share any of the videos from our TownHall series on the STEMconnector YouTube Page!
Students Step up with STEM Solutions
 What happens when 600 innovative students come together in one room? STEM challenges get solved! Students from 17 Illinois high schools were tasked by the Illinois Science & Technology Institute (ISTI) to solve real-world problems in partnership with nine industry and academic partners. The goal: to get them excited about research and development (R&D) and inspire them into careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Their efforts culminate in the Second Annual R&D STEM Learning Challenges Student Showcase to be held May 20, 2015 at Motorola Mobility?s downtown Chicago office in the Merchandise Mart. ?Our goal is to better connect students to careers in STEM fields, allowing them to see themselves working in a research and development environment.? said Mark Harris, president & CEO of the ISTI, an affiliate of the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition.
California Students Win National Prize for Grey Water System to Combat Drought
 Teach For America corps member Luis Ruelas and his engineering students at San Jose?s Downtown College Prep Alum Rock High School decided to tackle the challenge head on, creating a graywater system which reduces household water use by up to 37 percent. Their ?Don?t Waste a Drop? project was selected from a pool of over 3,000 applicants to be named one of five national winners of Samsung?s Solve For Tomorrow Competition ? earning their school $120,000 worth of Samsung technology. In addition, their project received the Environmental Sustainability Innovation Award from the National Environmental Education Foundation that includes an additional $25,000 award. |
