Focus on STEM

Camp Me! is committed to increasing exposure, interest, and participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators! 

STEM is everywhere around us! Can you think of all the things in our daily lives that are related to STEM? Science is everything from the earth to the stars and everything in between – the grass we walk on, the water we drink and the food we eat. Technology – how much time do we spend on a cell phone, a computer, a tablet or television? Can you imagine being “technology free” even for a day? Engineering allows us to travel on roads in cars, and safely over bridges, in airplanes to different countries, and on ships across the oceans! We encounter mathematics while doing simple every day tasks, such as going to the grocery store, or cutting up fruits and vegetables. Setting a table for four requires multiplication – ever think about that?

Why is STEM important? STEM is important because it reaches every aspect of our lives in ways that seem so commonplace. It’s important for children to understand and embrace this scope of knowledge, considering how it impacts us all in countless ways. Preparing children in STEM literacy is vital – and the sooner we start, the better!

Here are a few interesting STEM statistics:

• 7 of the 10 projected fastest-growing occupations over the next ten years are in STEM fields[i]
• STEM occupations have grown 8% in the last 10 years (2000-2010) and are expected to grow twice as fast (17%) in the next ten years.[ii]
• 16 of the 25 highest-paying jobs in 2010 require STEM preparation and STEM workers earn 26% more than their non-STEM peers. [iii] [iv]

Lets’s get excited about STEM and together we can prepare for a bigger and brighter future!