Indy Chamber Focuses On Improving STEM Interest

The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce is exploring how to get more Hoosiers interested and on track in science, technology, engineering and math subjects.

The organization held a forum on the issue, Thursday.

STEM subjects are a point of concern because as Project Lead the Way President Vince Bertram explains, if students don’t develop those skill areas, it jeopardizes the country’s future.

"People that are willing to start their own businesses create new opportunities, use existing technologies in new ways," he said.  "That is really the core of America's greatness and I think it is what is going to propel our greatness in the future.  But, we are not going to continue to be one of the world's greatest nations if we don't build this strong workforce and the minds of our young people today."

He says the nation can improve STEM education by better connecting students with why the information is relevant.

"We've made math and science appear to be hard.  What's really hard is when you don't have those skills.  Life is hard when you don't have those skills." said Bertram.  "We have to help students at a much earlier age generate that interest and excitement about STEM related subjects."

"We've squeezed out particularly science in the early grades.  Kids just don't have enough time to do science and generate the interest.  And, if they don't spend enough time in mathematics and they don't build those competencies, as math gets more difficult, then students are less likely to pursue math or science or other STEM related areas."

Erin Albert of Butler’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences says the earlier students are engaged in STEM subjects, particularly girls, the better chance they have to foster an appreciation for them.

"The research that I've studied suggests that have you to get girls engaged very early in the process, so kindergarten to right before middle school. Middle school to high school are really too late in most cases," she said.

Albert authored a children’s book on connecting young girls with STEM subjects and says the key is making them relatable.

"I talk about 20 different careers in STEM related fields with 20 different princesses that kind of engage their talents and strengths in STEM to eradicate their planet from the plague of ignorance that falls upon them," she said.

Bertram and Albert were part of an Indy Chamber panel discussion at Old National Centre on increasing the number of students earning degrees in STEM subjects.

Chamber President Michael Huber says failing to do so will cost the state economically.

"We do hear sometimes a company who is looking at an expansion in Indiana and they'll say 'we just can't find enough workers with this specific technical training,'" said Huber.  "If we don't address that, we'll be less competitive in the future.  That starts with education earlier on in one's career when one's a kid."

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, interest among male students in Indiana is rising and above the national average and science and engineering jobs are expected to increase by 20 percent over the next four years.