CHAPTER ONE Explaining Enterprise STEM I’d rather clean my room than do math Taking out the garbage is more fun than science You have to take the hardest subjects to be prepared for the future It’s important to take as much math and science as possible These comments came from students Over three-fourths of U S students say science and math are subjects to avoid The U S ranks twenty-first in science and twenty-fifth in math in the world Yet in the next ten years eighty percent of jobs will require people skilled in math and science Worldwide Finland China and Australia ranked in the top five The difference Their students think it’s important to take science and math They say those subjects help them be successful Take a look around Items that make life better come from the work of scientists technicians engineers or mathematicians 4
Enterprise STEM is the body of knowledge and the steps it takes to acquire that knowledge by people who work in science technology engineering or mathematics That includes enterprise or the business needed to achieve a result that goes with research peer reviews truthful reporting and publishing results In everyday language it’s called STEM 5
People in STEM have certain qualities Most are interested in math and science They ask questions are curious and work well in teams They use information to problem solve and to communicate effectively 6
Natural science includes life and earth science Life scientists study plants animals and single-celled life Physical science studies non-living parts of the world That’s Earth space and the laws of nature Technicians also work in natural sciences Technology involves any job with technical skills Most often technology means computers and programs People use math logic and computer science to make computers work in systems Others design new ways for computers to work 7
