FHSU takes science education on the road by DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN and KELSEY STREMEL photography by KELSEY STREMEL
A
s a child did you wonder how things work? Did you take them apart just to see what made them tick? The Fort Hays State University Maker Van is a traveling discovery laboratory that gives curious children, and those who are still curious children at heart, the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiential learning. “The Maker Van’s purpose is to meet people where they are in rural communities and ignite passions for science and mathematics in learners,” said Dr. Paul Adams, Dean of the College of Education and professor of physics. Science and math education fuels learners’ enthusiasm for investigation, experimentation and love of learning. There is a need nationwide for youth to have access to quality STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning programs and to encourage students to pursue careers
in STEM. These are interdisciplinary skills, the kind of skills that will be essential in helping future generations solve the most pressing challenges in Kansas, our nation and our world. The Maker Van, a mobile extension of the FHSU MakerSpace, is just one way Fort Hays State is innovating to meet the need for qualified STEM educators in Kansas and leading the statewide effort to motivate students’ interest in future careers in the STEM field. A sense of urgency about the state of American leadership in STEM spread across the nation about a decade ago when we began losing ground to other countries in the areas of student testing and performance. This keen focus on STEM continued to build into a nationwide initiative that now transcends political lines. In 2010, President Barack Obama made STEM education and the need for qualified teachers a priority in his Educate to Innovate campaign. ROAR
| 18 |
SPRING 2019
This laid the groundwork for the establishment of a 10-year goal designed to move the U.S. back to the forefront in STEM. In January 2019, President Donald Trump took action to provide greater nationwide access to STEM resources by encouraging broadband deployment in previously undeserved rural communities. Both of these initiatives focused on addressing the gap in STEM education opportunities, accessibility and U.S. workforce needs. It is predicted that employers will be unable to fill 2.5 million STEMrelated positions this year, including 2,500 computing jobs in Kansas alone. The Bureau of Labor Statistic reports that the divide between our skilled labor pool and the nationwide need for career-ready professionals with technology skills is growing every day. This significant gap is evident in Kansas and throughout the U.S. Of the six million jobs open across the nation, approximately 500,000
