Pushing for STEM to Take Root with Area Students

CSM Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Melanie Osterhouse, right, discusses careers that rely heavily on math at the 2010 Women + Math Conference at CSM’s La Plata Campus. “Today's jobs are in STEM fields and yet, there aren't enough graduates to meet the market's demand,” she said of why efforts to draw students into STEM careers are important.

College Highlights Science, Engineering, Technology, Math during April

Preparing students to fulfill the high-paying technical jobs of the future is a top priority for the College of Southern Maryland which has expanded its focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to include a wider variety of events for students and educators.

Spotlight on STEM, April 12-20, hosted by CSM and other key partners, includes five community outreach events and activities over two weeks and is expected to draw more than 3,500 students, educators and industry leaders.

 

Destination College hosted by SAIC

On April 12, middle school students from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties will visit CSM campuses to participate in hands-on STEM activities to create awareness of careers and post-secondary education opportunities in science fields.

 

LEGO Robotics Championship—Junior Division

The college’s robotics competition has reached more than 5,000 participants over the years to become the premier robotics competition among area elementary and middle school students. The April 13 competition provides future engineers and scientists an opportunity to spotlight their skills and talents in the construction of their robots, programming, driving and strategy—with an emphasis on teamwork.

 

Career and College Readiness Event

Educators, counselors and students from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties will converge April 17 to discuss “Is an education enough in the 21st century?” Entrepreneur and author Chad Foster and professional educator Dr. Tara Ebersole will lead discussion.

 

Student Success Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference

The Student Success Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference April 19 is a day-long conference for K-12 teachers, administrators and college instructors, providing effective teaching tips from state and national experts in a variety of areas, including STEM, along with opportunities for faculty and administrators to present ideas on a wide range of topics and to interact with peers from other institutions.

 

Women + Math

This annual event brings together young women in high school through age 21 with career professionals to learn what it is like to have a successful career in a field that draws heavily on math. Successful women working in the healthcare, computer science, architecture, engineering, physics, meteorology and cyber security fields will interact with the students April 20 in workshops as well as meet one-on-one in their fields of interest.

           

            Spotlight on STEM is sponsored by PNC Foundation, Diamond Sponsor; BAE Systems, Gold Sponsor; and Silver Sponsors Lockheed Martin Foundation, SAIC and Wyle.

For information or sponsorships on Spotlight on STEM and CSM programs in science, technology, engineering and math, visit http://www.csmd.edu/stem/.