Snippets of STEM Education news (home and abroad)

The importance of STEM education is gaining momentum. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 

Image source: The Whitehouse

#STEMlearning has global recognition and student performance is being measured and compared between industrialised nations worldwide. President Barack Obama is a supporter, and STEM is part of NASA's educational program

Image source - from Nasa

Closer to home we have the organisation STEM learning UK operating the National STEM Learning Centre and Network alongside other projects supporting STEM education, and, locally (living a few miles from Loughborough) I've come to know about THE Young Innovators Challenger 2016

Global science-based technology company 3M have teamed up once again with the Loughborough Echo and the Loughborough Learning Alliance to sponsor THE Young Innovators Challenge. This year's challenge was launched in January, with more than 500 young people from authority schools, academies, private schools and further education colleges around the Loughborough/Nottinghamshire borders participating in five separate and exciting challenges 

Image source: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/

I was pleased to learn that home educated children have been given opportunity to take part too, as I have witnessed, both in a personal and professional capacity, 3M being educationally encouraging and supportive in the past. So very heartening to see 3M continually doing their bit in regard to improving community education both at home,and in the larger arena of course, with the 3M STEM Fellowship Program

Unfortunately the closing date for entries to this year's THE Young Innovators Challenge has already happened and so opportunity to get involved this year is no longer possible. Judging for all four challenges is taking place throughout April at 3M House in Morley Street, Loughborough. Meet the judges here

The culmination of the programme is a presentation evening at Loughborough College on 20 May 2016, with Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary presenting the prizes. Morgan is the constituency MP for Loughborough and has supported the programme since its inception, so I, for one, will be looking for news coming out from that event. Perhaps I'll get an invite! 

Image soure: The British Science Association

This year's five challenges were:

Canyon Crossing Challenge

Echo Tech Challenge

Science Detectives Challenge

Super Food Challenge

Tomorrow's News Challenge

3M will pay for all those participating in the Eco Tech, Science Detectives and Super Food Challenges (T&Cs apply) to be entered for a British Science Association CREST Award. CREST is a UK-wide STEM enrichment scheme, run by the British Science Association in partnership with other national schemes and offers tangible benefits to both students and teachers

Any queries you may have in connection to THE Young Innovators programme, contact the leader Rosalind Smith rsmith@mmm.com Rosalind is based at 3M in Bracknell, UK