What is STEM?

— President Barack Obama, September 16, 2010

The simplest definition is what it stands for, which is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. There are many organizations that are dedicated to this topic and they define this with their own objectives. The ultimate goal of STEM education is to encourage students to take an interest in STEM subjects at an early age. This should be beneficial to them when they enter the jobs market, and in turn it should benefit the greater economy. It is a simple definition with a straight forward goal.

If people and communities are to thrive, nothing is more important than education and job training. A workforce armed with the critical skills needed to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow is important not only to the success of our business, but also to a country's ability to compete in the global marketplace. That's why Veterans Advocacy Group of America believes in schools and teachers. They focus on improving instruction in the key subjects of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and on helping provide the career and technical training that can lead directly to good-paying jobs.

Integration of Curriculum

The four parts of STEM have been taught separately and most of the time independent from each other for years. By adopting the STEM philosophy Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics all play an integral part in the teaching of the whole. The science, engineering, and mathematics fields are made complete by the technology component that provides a creative and innovative way to problem solve and apply what has been learned.

Many STEM education program participants are using highly specialized professional applications at very early ages. Programs that are usually reserved for college-level classes such as computer animation and CAD programs are being implemented in high school classrooms across the country as part of the STEM education initiative.

Benefits of Program

Since its implementation, critics have questioned the program’s ability to teach all students equally. This argument is a difficult one to hold, since it has been proven that the education system in general has been tailored to the needs of female students over the past twenty-five years in its focus on verbal concepts. All students benefit from the STEM program because it teaches independent innovation and allows students to explore greater depths of all of the subjects by utilizing the skills learned; these skills are going to be required in order for today’s students to be tomorrow’s global leaders. All jobs are requiring workers to have a greater ability to think critically, work as a member of a team and independently, and close the performance gap between our American students and those being produced in other countries.

Our Role and Responsibility

In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the number of college students choosing majors in science or technology related fields. Much of this has to do with poor preparation for the classes during high school and the intense work required outside of the lecture setting in places like laboratories. Students have chosen easier majors and courses of study in place of taking on the fields that they wanted to enter due to poor preparedness. If the graduation rates continue with this trend, there will be a workforce shortage in areas of engineering and science fields. The United States needs to be more competitive and build new standards for our students. The National Science Foundation “estimates that 80% of the jobs created in the next decade will require some form of math and science skills.” In order for our children to see the advancements in their generations that we saw in ours, it is important that they have a well-balanced education that includes STEM elements, as well as, traditional classes in the Arts. STEM education is designed to teach the “whole” student and in turn will make them more successful members of society.

Another great program is offered by the Great Minds in STEM scholarship which gives out over awards every year. Award amounts generally vary from $500 up to $100 depending on various criteria. In order to be eligible for this VAGA STEM scholarship, students will need to be able to demonstrate leadership through community involvement and academic awards.

All applicants will need to be majoring in a STEM related course while maintaining a 3.0 grade point average. Applicants must be enrolled in a formal degree program by fall of the year in which the award is given and all applicants must either be of direct Minority descent or be heavily involved in organizations which work in the Minority community. The deadline for this STEM scholarship is July 25th of 2014.