Importance of STEM subjects

Posted by The Editor on 12 Dec 2019 in Articles · 0 Comments

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What are STEM subjects?

These are the sciences which are usually taught at school and range from Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Physics. Technology encompasses ICT and other areas within PC/Apple PC applications.

Some schools may offer some form of Engineering and Mathematics which is crucially important across those areas.

Those subjects form the foundation stones for future learnings especially if students want to take those subjects in HEI & FE!

Future of STEM

In this fast-paced environment students need to learn how what they learn at school can be put to greater long-term use in the workplace or in higher education. They need to be aware of future advances in areas such as Artificial Intelligence can be applied to a variety of processes in the global economy as well of these countries.

They also need to be made aware of how discoveries in the past have impacted on new products which were discovered, and a notable example is the Landing on the Moon by three astronauts in July 1969.

NASA had to create small and portable items which could be used in space with ease, some examples were cordless power tools, scratch proof coatings, camera phones, infra-red sensing equipment and thermal blankets are just a few!

Nowadays pupils are more aware of the environment in which they live and are educated in and interests are more focused. Things like plastics and how they are polluting watercourses and oceans, how pollution from diesel trucks and buses are contributing to air pollution and also have a knock-on effect on those suffering from Asthma and other respiratory conditions.

My own area of interest at school was Chemistry and was very fascinated why some chemicals were white, or cream coloured, and some metals were brightly coloured and this was the motivation at the end of the day why I went in that direction career wise!

Learning how to treat chemicals with respect in order not to get hurt by burning or cut by glass was also included in our lessons. Currently legislation is in place to protect pupils from getting hurt in the form of both Risk Assessments and those relating to Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), this was absent in my days 1964-72 when I was at Secondary School.