September 26, 2019 — WASHINGTON, DC | In anticipation of National STEM/STEAM Day (November 8, 2019), STEMconnector’s National Day of Design returns to bring students of all grade levels a mission that asks them to find new innovative solutions to personalize the grocery shopping experience. This mission, sponsored by Walmart, encourages real-world critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and overall Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills while connecting students to a larger national movement. Over 50,000 students across the country have participated in previous National Days of Design.
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 as STEM interest decreases consistently from K-career. Experiential learning opportunities are proven to drive STEM interest and build critical employability skills for future academics and careers.
The 2019 National Day of Design Mission, Healthy Helpers: Personalizing the Shopping Experience for a Healthier You, 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 personalize the grocery shopping experience for those with dietary restrictions, busy schedules, and more.
“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, and hopefully that translates into lifelong interest in STEM and problem-solving.”
The standards-aligned mission can be downloaded for free at: www.nationaldayofdesign.
For additional information, contact DayofDesign@
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.