Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Imagination, invention, and creativity drive development in our world. In preparing today’s students to be tomorrow’s workforce we must prepare them for all jobs, even some that do not yet exist. Educators must help guide students into careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This strand will highlight classroom practices that emphasize skills in critical thinking, leadership, problem solving, collaboration, communication, media, and technology in the transdisciplinary context of STEM.

Goals
To provide workshops and presentations focusing on one or more of the following:
• Real-life applications of STEM activities that encourage preK–16 students to think like scientists and engineers.
• Using problem solving, innovation, and imagination for development of products and applications.
• Using authentic hands-on/minds-on activities where students work as teams to design, construct, and analyze.
• Giving teachers the tools to integrate aspects of engineering and technology into everyday activities and discussions.
• Providing teachers with information on cultivating and sustaining nurturing, meaningful partnerships within their communities.

Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the extent that they:
• Integrate a STEM focus within the current curriculum.
• Provide student opportunities for collaboration and 21st-century skills development.
• Demonstrate effective application of appropriate technologies.
• Align with one or more strand goals.
• Align with state and national science education standards (NSES and Benchmarks).
• Are based on current and available research and issues in science.
• Involve participants through activities and/or discussion.