From the Mayor’s newsletter.
With representatives of the Girl Scouts at the UA’s announcement of its STEM Education Center
Together with representatives from industry, the community and academia, I spoke at the launch of the University of Arizona’s STEM Learning Center last month. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
The Center will focus on teacher training and support, research and evaluation, pre-K to college STEM curricula and community partnerships.
STEM education is important for several reasons. STEM careers tend to pay higher wages. STEM innovations improve our quality of life. And while we don’t need (or want) everyone to choose a STEM career, we do want everyone to be scientifically literate. We need an informed electorate to make decisions on such critical issues as climate change—without being swayed by uninformed opinion.
In March, I called a STEM meeting of my own, bringing together folks from the University and the community to discuss needs and resources. The meeting was hosted by the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, who have worked on getting girls interested in STEM subjects for some time now. That group will continue to meet, with University faculty taking the lead.
