The STEM Academy, which is a US, national non-profit status organization dedicated to improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math(s)) literacy for all students, recently announced a partnership with 3D Printer manufacturer Stratasys. The upshot of this partnership is that Stratasys’ 3D printers will be incorporated into The STEM Academy’s curriculum as part of the overarching aim to better prepare students’ for working in the 21st century.
According to Russell Mickelson, CEO of The STEM Academy: “The manifestation of true STEM education is students solving open-ended problems. It is this critical thinking capability, which elevates testing results. When true STEM education practice incorporates 21st century real-world applications, students are prepared to compete in the global economy. Partnering with the global leader in Stratasys will allow the schools we serve the opportunity to provide students with unique, real-world 21st century experiences in the classroom.”
Allowing kids to get hands-on with real technology while still at school not only enthuses them about the STEM subjects — something that is desperately needed in the States, and across Europe — it also allows them to build a work portfolio while still in high school, better preparing them for internships and full-on careers in the desing, engineering and manufacturing sectors.
Jesse Roitenberg, Stratasys’ Education Program Manager commented: “We see a growing importance of STEM education for our future workforce. The STEM Academy represents high quality programming, and we look forward to partnering with them to further the mission of STEM education.”
The STEM Academy’s partnership with Stratasys is its latest partnership with an industry leading company that is committed to the implementation of STEM education. Additionally, The STEM Academy has partnered with global software leader Solidworks and global precision machining leader MasterCAM.
About The STEM Academy
The practices, strategies and programming utilized within The STEM Academy (K-16 Program) were developed from identified national best practices by the National Academy of Engineering and National Science Foundation. Curriculum features dual-credit agreements with over 180+ post-secondary institutions. Instructors may earn up to 9 graduate school credits through the STEM 101 professional development program.
