STEM In The News:
“Kids Might Close Government’s IT Talent Gap”
There is a massive shortage of IT workers in America and the numbers keep getting higher and higher. “The Computing Technology Industry Association’s latest data showed that there were 301,873 cybersecurity job openings nationwide between April and March of last year.” So what can stop this ever-growing shortage of It workers? The answer is kids! “Getting children and teens interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, fields is an ongoing educational effort nationwide. It’s one of the few ways that our nation can maintain our role as leaders in advanced fields like technology and engineering. And, if those efforts are successful, it can help to close the cybersecurity talent gap while also offering those kids good, safe and profitable careers.” Read more
“Military a path to STEM careers, especially for women, study shows”
Dr. Christina Steidl, an associate professor of sociology at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Dr. Regina Werum a professor of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have conducted research to find that “Military service is a path to a later career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and especially for women.” In partnership with the NSF these researchers have found that “veterans have higher rates of STEM degree earning and STEM employment than civilians, and that the pattern is particularly strong for women.” Read more
“It’s Never Too Early to Start Thinking About STEM Careers”
It is simply a myth to believe that boys are better than girls when it comes to learning in the STEM field. In fact, the data shows quite the opposite. The data of the 2018 Technology & Engineering Literacy Assessment shows that girls actually outperformed their male peers, with a gender score gap of five points. These facts however beg the question, “Why do young women in high school make up only 23% of Advanced Placement exam takers in computer science, less than 20% of recipients of bachelor’s degrees in computer and information science, and just over a quarter of the entire computing workforce?” Read more
“STEM Is Root of Success for Women in Comms”
Kim Gibbons, the Chief Marketing Officer for NetNumber, is joined by Angela LaFosse, marketing director of Business Mobility & Internet of Things for Bell Mobility, to address women in communications and their connection to STEM at the Big 5G Telecommunications workshop in Denver. During this panel Gibbons and LaFosse address the concern of girls losing interest in STEM at an early age, greatly increasing the gender gap in telecommunications. During the panel, La Fosse discusses how some progress has been made in closing that gender gap and stressed how important a background in STEM is “for any job function for women in comms, whether it be a marketing or engineering role.” “”STEM will help us self-solve and self-correct for a lot of [the gender gaps] we’ve seen in the past,” said LaFosse.” Read more
“Jacky Rosen’s STEM bill heads to Senate floor”
Bipartisan bill hits the Senate floor! “The Building Blocks of STEM Act, sponsored by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on a voice vote.” This bill will create education initiatives, “focus on boosting participation of women students in fields where they are underrepresented”, and even provide research grants. Read more
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