The acronym STEM, denoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, has become popular in educational bureaucracies across the nation. In Ann Arbor, administrators use a variation, STEAM, which indicates the addition of Arts to the emphasis. STEM and STEAM are, by themselves, not programs, but rather expressions of content areas which educators turn into programs. The following is not meant to be a comprehensive overview, but rather is a sampling of facts and anecdotes which illustrate what STEAM can do for students:
- To get AAPS students ready for what they'll encounter after graduating from high school, we can look at examples like these:
- The University of Michigan's program in Cell Biology and Molecular Biology informs students (on its website as of February 2014) that they should have some exposure to French, German, or Russian.
- The U of M's program in Physics and Astronomy likewise informs students (on its website as of February 2014) that they should have some exposure to French, German, or Russian.
- The U of M's Chemistry Department (on its website as of February 2014) informs undergraduate majors that they should have a reading knowledge of German.
- The U of M's School of Engineering teaches, in conjunction with the U of M's German Department, technical vocabulary and writing in German; the School of Engineering sends undergraduate interns in large numbers to countries like Switzerland and Austria.
For more information about the study of the German language can accelerate your career in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, ask your local high school German teacher!
[Andrew Smith is a German teacher at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.]
