In September in Santa Fe, SFI Business Network members joined national and regional educators to explore the complexities of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States.
Organized by Rick Stephens and Michael Richey of The Boeing Company, Nora Sabelli of SRI International, and SFI’s Ginger Richardson and Chris Wood, the meeting treated STEM education and the U.S. workforce as a complex system. Participants sought un- derlying causes for the education system not adequately educating the workforce to meet the needs of business and industry.
Shirley Malcom, head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, felt “it was refreshing to have that kind of conversation with people who know we’re totally about complex systems. We were able to talk about nonstandard solutions.”
Michael Richey said the result of convening so many diverse thought leaders was “discussions I hadn’t heard before.”
Nora Sabelli said the meeting offered new ways of thinking. “The interaction between the supporting environment and the educational system is where the problems lie,” she added. “It takes time for these ideas to be absorbed.”
Ginger Richardson says several new project collaborations have developed from connections made at this meeting.