Challenging our students in science, math and the real world

We strive to make every educational opportunity accessible to all of Arkansas's students, but those efforts will ultimately fall short if our students lack the passion and drive to succeed. While we want our students to achieve, we also want them to find success in fields that inspire them and lead to satisfying careers.

This is especially true in science, technology, engineering, and math, what we call the STEM subjects. We know that STEM education is vital in preparing students for 21st-century jobs in an increasingly high-tech economy. But sometimes students are unaware of the countless possibilities available to them. The challenge we face, then, is showing - not just telling - these students what they can accomplish in tangible terms they can understand. We want them to experience and to appreciate firsthand the real-world applications of STEM knowledge. This month, Arkansas has become part of a national program that aims to do just that.

The Real World Design Challenge is a partnership between NASA, the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, and private companies. It brings high-end professional engineering software into classrooms, along with online training for teachers and students, as well as professional mentoring from the science and engineering industries. The federal government, companies representing STEM industries, and the Arkansas Department of Education have collaborated to bring these tools directly to our students. We understand the need to build stronger interest in STEM subjects that will generate an educated workforce capable of filling jobs that are so critical to the country's economic competitiveness.

Through a Web-based program, the 85 participating teachers in schools and career centers - and their students - will be mentored by professionals in national laboratories, federal government agencies, private industry, and higher education. The program is designed to stimulate students into thinking, learning, and working as teams in creative, inventive ways they may never have tried before. Each year, one lucky Arkansas school will win a spot at the national Real World Design Challenge in Washington, D.C., giving its students the opportunity to meet other students from around the country with similar interests. Using a collaborative approach, they will compete to solve real-world engineering and technical challenges faced right now in workplaces around the world. The sense of accomplishment all participating Arkansas students will develop may be just the inspiration they need to consider careers as scientists and engineers.

Exercises such as the Real World Design Challenge can illuminate the spark in students' minds and motivate them to realize that these fields may be where their academic and professional interests lie. All students benefit from a well-rounded education. As technology becomes an ever-increasingly important part of daily life across all career fields, and the better our students understand STEM subjects, the better equipped they will be for any job.