MIDDLEBURY, Conn. (AP) - Architectural engineers, analytical chemists and computer coders all work in science, technology, engineering and math related fields.
STEM jobs are among the fastest growing careers, but there is only one qualified candidate for every two openings, according to the Boy Scouts of America’s Connecticut Rivers Council.
The BSA is responding to the gap with a new STEM Scouts program for both boys and girls.
Now in its second year, Heather Shepard, the STEM executive for the Connecticut Rivers Council, is trying to bring the pilot program to Pomperaug.
“We want to at least expose them to these occupations,” Shepard said. “A lot of times, kids don’t know what an engineer is, unless their parents are in the field. This is another way to build curiosity and see where that takes them.”
A parent information session will be held at Long Meadow Elementary School, 65 North Benson Road in Middlebury, at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15.
The program is open to all children from Southbury, Woodbury and Middlebury in grades 3 to 8.
In addition to recruiting parent volunteers to oversee the program, tours will be given of Vortex, the STEM Scouts’ mobile lab. Shepard said the children will take part in a fun experiment.
She said the Boy Scouts have the STEM/NOVA program, but wanted to create a new program that’s coed and not just for Boy Scouts.
In addition to Cub and Boy scouts, Shepard said STEM Scouts is meant to attract boys and girls, who are not as interested in camping and high adventure.
“Our primary mission is developing character and leadership skills,” she said. “We use camping and science experiments to draw them in and have fun, but at our core we want to make good citizens.”
The program meets once a week for 90-minute sessions for around 30 weeks. Though parents guide the sessions, Shepard said the children solve the problems on their own.
STEM Scouts will explore five-to-seven topics, focusing on each for four-to-six weeks. For example, Shepard said a group could have four weeks of robotics, before devoting the same amount of time to vertical farming.
Meetings can include a three-to-five minute segment called a STEM innovator moment, highlighting a past leader, like Albert Einstein, or featuring a guest speaker from the community.
“We give them a suggestion, ’if you know someone who is a nurse, an engineer, even a mechanic, have them come in and explain what they do and how they benefit the world,’” Shepard said.
The Connecticut Rivers Council has STEM Scout programs in Manchester, Hebron, Bristol, Danbury, Torrington, Hartford, Simsbury and Tolland.
“We have a very high retention rate,” Shepard said. “Out of all our labs, we probably have 95 percent of students coming back for year two.”
Studies show students tend to lose interest in STEM in high school, so Shepard said the goal is to spark interest in the early grades in hopes STEM Scouts continue through high school.
“If you’re a high school STEM Scout, we offer the opportunity for you to do research with a professor from a local college and have a paper published in our peer- reviewed journal,” Shepard said. “That’s a big deal. It’s a resume builder. If they’re applying to Yale, they can say, ’I already have a published paper.’”
She said science and math have the stereotype of being hard.
“It’s just another way of thinking,” Shepard said. “We want to show them that it’s not hard, you just have to approach these concepts differently. When you’re able to understand the world around you, it’s so empowering and it opens up your mind to be more curious. Once they start to ask questions and get answers, the sky is the limit.”
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Information from: Republican-American, https://www.rep-am.com
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