STEM

Can STEM Prepare Students to Make a Difference?

TJ McKenna explores the shortage of STEM workers and what it means for addressing pressing global challenges

As STEM increasingly drives economic growth and fosters innovation, the need for workers trained in STEM fields is rapidly increasing. But despite the billions of dollars being spent on STEM education, the supply of well-trained workers can’t keep pace with the demand. And while individuals with STEM backgrounds are well positioned to work on important global challenges such as food insecurity, climate changes, or educational equity, many do not pursue careers where they can do this type of work.

For this webinar in the Conversations with the Dean series, lecturer Thomas “TJ” McKenna joined BU Wheelock Dean David Chard for a discussion about getting more students interested in STEM and equipped to address some of the big challenges that can be tackled by these fields. McKenna is the director of the Center for STEM Professional Learning at Scale, which provides high quality, equitable, and inclusive STEM learning for educators.

Highlights from the Conversation

STEM learning should be active

Science isn’t just about learning ideas that other people have figured out and passively getting those ideas. It’s about going outside, looking at things, trying to solve problems, trying to understand what’s happening, and then share that in a public arena.

TJ McKenna

The difference between STEM and STEAM

We shouldn’t be focused as much on what we call it as much as what we do. And we really want to be preparing students for this way of looking at the world, this set of skills you can develop through questioning things, through doing these different investigations.

TJ McKenna

The power of STEM education

Science is not just learning about what other people have done—it’s a way of figuring out your own world, a way of understanding the complexities of what’s around you. That’s how you create an empowered citizenry where people do feel like if a new technology comes out, like generative AI, or if there are new global challenges, there are things they feel like I know how to get the information about this and I know how to approach this.

TJ McKenna

Conversations with the Dean are a series of webinars hosted by Dean Chard that explore some of the most pressing topics in education. Learn more about Conversations with the Dean.