Teachers learn how to spark early interest in STEM careers
To help fill a pipeline of future scientists and engineers, many teachers in the St. Louis area are “stemitizing” — integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts into all school subjects.
One such effort, STEMpact’s Teacher Quality program, trains 150 kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers on how to incorporate the concepts into their curriculum in hopes of building early interest in STEM careers.
On Wednesday, dozens of STEMpact teachers visited MilliporeSigma in midtown to show them a real-world STEM environment and a hands-on lab experiment. MilliporeSigma’s chemicals and other products are used to research and manufacture biotechnological and pharmaceutical drug therapies and used in laboratories.
STEMpact is a collaborative program between the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University and local STEM-related companies including Ameren, Boeing, Centene, Express Scripts, Monsanto and MilliporeSigma. STEMpact aims to tackle the looming STEM workforce shortage by finding ways to inspire children to pursue STEM careers.
Read the entire story on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website.