STEM Career SmartBrief

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November 21, 2012

STEM News for Educators

Education

Students use smartphones to complete science "quests"
A new educational tool aims to help engage students in science education. Active Explorer allows teachers to design exploratory assignments and students to share data online after completing tasks, such as identifying local plants. District Administration magazine (12/2012)

Ind. high-school teams compete in robotics championship
High-school students from the Marion County, Ind., area are planning to compete in a robotics competition in January sponsored by VEX Robotics. The regional competition is part of a national series of events that culminate in a world championship in the spring. The Indianapolis Star (tiered subscription model) (11/20)

Md. teen is recognized for developing cancer-detection method
High-school student Jack Andraka of Crownsville, Md., recently received $75,000 in scholarship funds and national recognition for developing a paper sensor to detect pancreatic cancer. "I was walking up and down the aisle and getting less and less confident," he said. "One girl created a new way to detect breast cancer using the computer. Mammography is really painful and invasive, but her method was noninvasive." EdTech magazine (11/2012)

Business

Ga. Tech shifts center's focus toward more "real world" applications
Georgia Tech is renaming its Manufacturing Research Center as part of an effort to focus more on materials, systems and education that will enhance manufacturing in the U.S. and lead to job growth. Now called the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, the program will draw researchers from across the campus and place a greater emphasis on what innovations can mean in the marketplace. American City Business Journals (11/20)

Trends

Self-taught programmer starts a new career
Computer coding may seem like a foreign language and an impenetrable field for those who do not consider themselves computer savvy. However, online resources are available to learn programming, and with time and effort, self-taught programmers can land a job with a technology company. For example, Kevin Dreimiller had experience as a paralegal, but he spent nights and weekends learning to code and so he could achieve his goal of working for Red Hat. B2C Marketing Insider (11/20)

Manufacturing returns but without blue-collar jobs
Manufacturing is growing fast in the U.S. and other major economies but the nature of factory work has changed and the number of traditional factory jobs has decreased, according to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute. Worldwide manufacturing contributed to 37% of productivity growth between 1995 and 2005, but employment fell 24% in that period, the study found. The Washington Post/Wonkblog (11/19)

Editor's Note

SmartBrief will not publish Thursday and Friday
In observance of Thanksgiving in the U.S., SmartBrief will not be published Thursday and Friday. Publication will resume Monday. Enjoy the holiday!

SmartQuote

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was 'thank you,' that would suffice."

--Meister Eckhart,
German theologian and philosopher

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Publisher, Education: Joe Riddle 202-387-0987