I attended a forum yesterday entitled, “Fueling High Tech Careers in NJ–(STEM-Science, Tech, Engineering & Math Education Initiatives) presented by the Electronics, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Industry Network of the NJ Tech Council. Moderated by Bill Kroll, CEO of Matheson TriGas, the panel consisted of a range of technology academicians who shared with the audience their efforts to educate New Jersey students about technology and influence their career choices. Some of the presentations including video were very impressive.
Nancy Butnick, Special Projects Leader, of the Liberty Science Center, presented fantastic footage of surgery being conducted with the use of robotics that included views of internal organs as part of the Cardiac Classroom. As she showed and explained, the doctor sits in a machine that enables them to make hand and arm movements that the robot emulates to conduct the surgery. Students from high schools around New Jersey are able to view this and other initiatives by attending the Science Center. Their goal is encourage interest in engineering, math and science.
Dunbar Birnie, Chairman, Materials Sciencee and Engineering, at Rutgers shared student projects focusing on Energy Applications and Solar. This included toy cars powered by solar cells built by students. Dunbar “dreams of running a High School statewide Solar Design Competition.”
Kenneth Zushna, Executive Director, New Jersey Technology Educators Association, shared the mission of their organization to educate students about “practicing the process of design and innovation”. Though not offered at all high schools in New Jersey, a teacher with a Technology Education Certification assists students in achieving Technological Literacy.
As noted during the panel discussion, in roads have not been made in having girls pursue careers in engineering and science. Reasons shared by some women attendees included social pressure during teen years, as well as women professionals facing hurdles in becoming re-engaged in their industry following child rearing. Anecdotes were shared about some successes, but the general concensus was that results were far below expectations. One left the conference after viewing some of the videos as to how students could not be motivated to become active as the technology on display was so impressive—and gave such a preview to an adventurous future.
