Is There a Teen Scientist In the Audience?

By now, the acronym STEM is well known. It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and is intended to represent an educational focus on recapturing a time in the U.S. where our students ranked at or near the top in those areas worldwide. This in turn correlates to the country's former leadership in STEM-related industries and the national desire to regain it.

It was after the Russian launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 that the federal government first started pouring resources into science and technology, making it a priority to win the ‘Space Race.’ Innovation was the order of the day. NASA was launched (no pun intended) and the National Defense Education Act was passed, initiating the injection of funds for science and technology programs into American schools.