BOSTON, MASS. -- In a Huffington Post piece penned by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, the civic leader explains why the city is embarking on a partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to bring the first Boston STEM week into 36 middle schools.
The majority of children born today will work for companies that have not yet been started, in fields which have not yet been invented. STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) is changing our world so rapidly that the facts we teach our children in middle school are often no longer true or relevant by the time those children graduate high school,” Mayor Walsh wrote.
He added that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that STEM-related careers will balloon past the nine million mark within six years.
We need to instill in our youth, especially in underrepresented groups such as women and minorities, an interest and dexterity in science, technology, engineering and math.”
Boston STEM Week began on Monday, October 3rd and ran through today. The 36 Boston middle schools that participated replaced 20-25 hours of regularly scheduled classes with MIT’s project-based STEM curriculum, i2 Learning, according to THE Journal. The goal is for teachers and students to work in teams and solve real-world problems with experimentation and collaboration.
On Twitter, #BostonSTEMweek was full of pearls like sheep brain dissection, part of the Surgical Techniques Course, and creating air filters that will be needed when humans live on the moon as part of the Lunar Colony Course.
Sheep Brain Dissection ?#BostonSTEMweek #bestschoolinboston @i2Learning @RCABKMEARS @SJP2CA @CCatholicSchool @CSOboston pic.twitter.com/E9W83c1rNT
— SJP2CA Lower Mills (@SJP2CALowerMill) October 7, 2016
It’s finally here! Lower Mills STEM Showcase! ? #wearescientists #BostonSTEMWeek ? @RCABKMEARS @SJP2CA @i2Learning @CSOboston pic.twitter.com/poHKuCcy2L
— SJP2CA Lower Mills (@SJP2CALowerMill) October 7, 2016
How were you an engineer today? -We designed tested & improved air filters for our lunar colony during 1st day of #bostonstemweek pic.twitter.com/QvQrMy7lhD
— Haley 6th Graders (@HaleyGrade6) October 3, 2016
Other courses, like Digital Game Design and Urban Farming, address programming and irrigation.
Boston STEM Week was inspired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy STEM for All initiative. The city has set a goal to extend the program to 2,000 schools by the end of 2020.
Find out how to bring STEM week to your city on the Boston STEM week website.
