What do finding a cure for sickle cell anemia, designing interactive games, and influencing public policy have in common?
These endeavors are among the dozens tackled by MentorNet mentors during their varied and exciting careers. Although each career path is unique, mentors all agree that their STEM educations and careers continue to provide them with unexpected and imaginative opportunities.
When the media reports on STEM fields and money, often the stories focus on the mega-rich founders of start-ups who have hit pay dirt through their relentless work ethic, genuine ingenuity, good luck, or all of the above. They drive luxury sports cars, fly planes, and look pretty glamorous compared to the rest of us. Their successes make entertaining news, but the real news is that tens of thousands of STEM professionals and their families benefit from the financial stability and geographic mobility their jobs provide.
On November 14, 1969, my teacher Miss Getchins marched our first-grade class into the school auditorium and sat us down right in front of a large black and white television. We were lucky --- the rest of the school was seated behind us, straining their necks to see the grainy image on the TV.
Together, we waited patiently for the launch of Apollo 12. I don't remember seeing the launch itself, but do remember the deafening roar of whoops when it happened. The whole nation was enraptured by space exploration, and none more so than us kids who dreamed of our futures in space.
Last week, we asked MentorNet members to send us their personal stories about why they entered STEM fields or are studying in STEM fields.
The responses have been overwhelming --- like drinking from a firehose! Some are very personal, many inspirational. I am organizing posts by theme and including quotes from everyone who has responded.
Please keep your stories coming by emailing them to 'blog AT mentornet DOT net', and don't forget to tell me whether I can quote you by name.
Mary Fernandez
MentorNet mentor, Research computer scientist
“Nothing travels faster than light, with the possible exception of bad news, which follows its own rules”
---Douglas Adams
In the US, the news on the current and future workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is bleak. Kids in the US are woefully underperforming in mathematics and science. They are unlikely to enter university with a STEM major in mind, and even when they do start out in a STEM major, the attrition rate in STEM subjects dwarfs that of other disciplines. Add to these problems the chronic under-representation in STEM of women and minorities and the (mis)perception that science and technology jobs are emigrating, it's no wonder that students are not choosing STEM fields.
