About 10 years ago, a middle school student, Aaron Marshall, walked into a basketball gym about 45 minutes from his hometown of Hammond, La., and saw rows of booths with hands-on STEM activities, from 3-D printing to robotics.
Outlining a platform to increase STEM careers in urban and minority communities, Dr. Calvin Mackie, founder and president of STEM NOLA, told a congressional briefing that children must be exposed to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at an early age and K-12 teachers need better preparation to be more effective. Dr. Mackie also asserted that parents and communities must prioritize STEM education because it will fuel quality jobs for their children – today and in the future.