The DoDEA STEM initiative is an educational program designed to provide students with opportunities to be successful in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Our purpose is to ignite the passion of students to pursue education and careers in STEM disciplines. The three goals of the DoDEA STEM initiative are to:

1. Create K-12 student interest, participation, and achievement in higher levels of math, science, and technology through the engineering design process,
2. Attract and retain students to STEM fields with a focus on underrepresented and female populations, and
3. Support the national security focus on the shortage of STEM professionals

The initiative takes a multi-pronged approach to achieve the goals. One prong includes new courses that have been developed by teachers and are currently being piloted in the fields of Biotechnology Engineering, Gaming Technology Engineering, Green Technology Engineering, and Robotics Engineering. The aim for these courses is to introduce students to contemporary disciplines in STEM fields and to encourage them to find relevance and need for higher-level mathematics and science coursework as they pursue their future goals.

The STEM Courses in SY 12-13 (Second Year of DoDEA’s Initiative)

In an effort to introduce more students to STEM disciplines and potentially feed more students into STEM coursework, DoDEA is planning a series of worldwide events for the spring of 2012. A tentative listing of these events is provided below. These events serve as a kick-off event to STEM awareness in DoDEA and will feature partnerships between DoDEA teachers and Federal STEM professionals through support from the Office of Personnel Management. As partners, STEM professionals and educators will guide students through project-based activities as they prepare for higher levels of math, science, computer programming, and engineering coursework. In addition, Federal STEM professionals will lead sessions designed to expose the students to Federal careers and internships in STEM fields. This will be the first step in producing lasting partnerships between DoDEA schools and STEM professionals in local communities and around the world. In addition to the below events, spin-off events for students in dozens of schools will take place that focus on community-driven STEM projects aimed at the three goals of the program.

• Green Technology Engineering
  • April 16-20, 2012: Ft Stewart/Ft Jackson/Laurel Bay, SC
  • April 23-27, 2012: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
  • April 30-May 4, 2012: Puerto Rico
  • May 7-11, 2012: Camp Lejeune/Ft Bragg, NC
• Environmental/Green Technology Engineering
  • April 23-27, 2012: Ft. Benning, GA
• Robotics Engineering/Green Technology Engineering
  • April 8-13, 2012: FT Campbell/Ft Knox, KY
• Biotechnology Engineering
  • April 30-May 4, 2012: Quantico, VA
• Geophysics, Nuclear Engineering, Bio-technology, Game/Simulation Technology Engineering, Environmental Engineering
  • April 23-27, 2012: Oberwessel, Germany
• Medical and Health Sciences
  • April 23-27, 2012: Seoul, Korea
• Biotechnology
  • April 23-27, 2012: Anderson AFB, Guam
• Environmental Sciences
  • April 23-27, 2012: Yokosuka, Japan
• Civil Engineering
  • April 23-27, 2012: Kadena, Okinawa

DoDEA will continue work from these kick-off events and spin-off components to foster a focus on STEM in the PK-12 environment. A multi-disciplinary approach to STEM throughout the academic career of any student is essential to the development of deep content knowledge and 21st century skills of adaptability, complex communication, non-routine problem-solving, self-direction/self-management, and systems thinking.