WASHINGTON, DC | National STEM/STEAM Day is November 8, 2018, and schools and youth groups across the nation will be sharing the progress and results of this year’s National Day of Design Mission. The 2018 National Day of Design Mission, Food Rescuers: STEM Innovations to Reduce Food Waste, provides an opportunity for students in grades K-12 to acquire deep understanding about a challenge that impacts their daily lives and their communities while using interdisciplinary skills in various sciences, English, technology, and the fundamentals of engineering to design a new invention that will reduce food waste in their school’s cafeteria.
The innovative design challenge encourages real-world critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and overall Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills while connecting students to a larger national movement – thousands of students across the country participated in 2017’s inaugural National Day of Design, and this year, over 20,000 students are anticipated to complete the Mission.
With approximately 20 percent of today’s jobs requiring some level of STEM background according to the National Science Board, helping young people develop these skills is critical to individual, community, and national economic success. However, despite sizeable investment by K-12, higher education, industry, and nonprofits, the workforce loses potential STEM employees at every stage of the pipeline. Experiential learning opportunities are proven to drive STEM interest and build critical employability skills that will guide young people through their education and careers.
“This Mission reminds students that each of us has a role to play in solving complex global challenges at the local level,” said Erin White, Senior Director of Product Development & Research at STEMconnector. “It helps them to make the connection that what they learn in school can actually be applied in the world around them. That these are the skills adults use to solve actual problems. And hopefully that translates into lifelong interest in STEM and problem-solving.”
The standards-aligned Mission can be downloaded for free at: www.nationaldayofdesign.com and participants are asked to share photos, quotes, videos, and other updates from the Mission on social media using #DayofDesign2018 on November 8. For additional information, contact DayofDesign@STEMconnector.com.
Day of Design is an initiative of STEMconnector, a professional services firm committed to increasing the number of STEM-ready workers in the global talent pool. The organization provides a platform for cross-sector learning and engagement for a passionate network of leaders who are collectively re-envisioning the workforce.