Schools across the United States have been expanding their initiatives in offering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education to their students as studies have shown how important these fields are and will be. SBB Research Group, a Chicago-based investment management firm comprised primarily of STEM-trained professionals, offers a scholarship to encourage students to pursue STEM education.
The United States as a whole has fallen behind other developed countries in the development of STEM-related education in students. STEM education encompasses the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As modern economies and job fields become more and more focused on new scientific discoveries and enhanced technologies, education must adapt to prepare students for the world. Job growth will continue to increase in these fields as the future is based upon what innovations can change the world and how we exist.
STEM subjects commonly promote education through project-based learning, which helps expand development and creative ways of thinking in students. Introducing the STEM fields at an early age through elementary school education gives children a firm foundation to build upon to become the future of innovation. Students exposed to these fields have greater abilities to think critically and find ways to solve problems using logic.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are strong fields when it comes to competing on a global scale and maintaining a stable economy. These fields go beyond creating the next best app or toy; they expand into vaccines, nutrition, environmental causes, and other critical technologies. STEM fields are the future of how we eat, live, breathe, communicate, and travel. The more individuals that are equipped with the tools necessary to aid in scientific discovery or technological advances, the better the U.S. will be positioned to remain competitive in developments on a global scale. Even if individuals do not go into STEM-related positions directly, they must be literate in the fields to understand and participate in the advancement of society. Literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics enables individuals to develop informed opinions and contribute to the economy both as consumers and as workers.
Studies from the United States Department of Commerce show that jobs in STEM-related areas have seen an increase of 24.4% over the last ten years, whereas jobs in non-STEM-related fields grew at a pace of 4%. The same research also found that individuals in STEM-related positions made on average about 29% more than individuals that worked in other positions. Educating students early on in their foundational years can help set them up for success by positioning them for highly skilled and well-paying jobs when they transition from school into the workforce. It is also important to note that not all STEM-related job fields require a four-year college degree; almost half of the jobs available do not require a degree, which is 10% higher than jobs in other fields with similar requirements. This research demonstrates that providing STEM-related education to students early on can help those individuals achieve success and fill skill gaps in society, regardless of where they choose to go after high school.
About SBB Research Group: SBB Research Group is a Chicago-based investment management firm that continually strives to optimize the protection and growth of investor capital. Led by applied mathematician and CEO Dr. Sam Barnett and Matt Aven, an experienced professional in economics and computer science, SBB Research Group specializes in creating bespoke funds seeking both stability and long-term results through a systematic investment approach.
The SBB Research Group STEM Scholarship "encourages and empowers students to create significant value and countless new opportunities for society through their pursuit of higher learning, especially through interdisciplinary combinations of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)." Apply at https://www.sbbscholarship.com/ by August 31, 2020.
