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The Power of Data: Notes from the STEM Summit 4.0

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By James Cola, Communications Manager, Springer Nature

The STEM Summit 4.0 – The Power of Data was held by Scientific American and Macmillan Learning at the New York Academy of Sciences on October 14, 2016. Hosted by Susan Winslow, Managing Director, Macmillan Learning, and Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief, Scientific American, the summit aimed to further collaboration between educators, entrepreneurs and public policy leaders, and to highlight how data can impact and transform the way that people teach and learn.

Across the United States, there are kindergartens, schools and colleges that are using data analytics, adaptive learning platforms, apps, video streaming, images, gaming, and more to help inspire student curiosity, tailor content, enable students to work in ways that suit them and change the way students approach STEM subjects.

At the STEM Summit 4.0, real-life stories reinforced the view that using data in teaching and learning is vital — and is already making a huge difference by helping educators to not only just name challenges and problems, but to go underneath to the root of the problems to solve them. Several presenters noted that data will continue to be key in encouraging greater participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The summit championed the increased use of data in education, as well as focusing on specific strengths and weaknesses of data.  Through discussions about different types of data — and interactive breakout sessions that included “How do we get educators past phobias (the fear of teaching STEM)?” and “How Do We Use Technology and STEM to Create Globally Competent Citizens?” — attendees developed strategies to help educators and further encourage students to study STEM topics.

STEM summit image

The day’s highlight, an address from Paul Krugman, the renowned Nobel Laureate and New York Times columnist, captivated the audience. His talk, “Technology, Globalization, and Skills”, discussed how STEM represents 6% of the workforce in the United States (excluding healthcare), and the role that STEM education plays in countries’ ability to compete and succeed globally.

However, speakers were clear that the United States faces challenges.

Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Senior Vice President, Curriculum and Content, Sesame Workshop, said: “The data are in. We know we have a problem, and students are underperforming in science compared to children in other developed countries.”

Terri McCullough of the Clinton Foundation also noted the fact that there are fewer women studying STEM subjects now compared to 30 years ago.  While Krishanti Vignarajah, Director of Policy and International Affairs, The White House, Office of the First Lady, discussed how a girl’s earning potential increases by 15-20% for every year of secondary school education.

Dr. Adam Black, Chief Learning Officer, Macmillan Learning, gave a presentation on “The Promises and Pitfalls of Big Data”. He suggested that there is a digital renaissance in education and we can start to measure many things empirically due to the growing use of digital and more touchpoints with the learner. These touchpoints include apps, websites, games, and other interfaces where information is recorded about the learner.

Elsewhere during the summit, a particularly joyous and charming presenter talked about “Tactics to Build Engaged Learners”. Renton Prep School 10th grade student Jennifer Fernandez energized the crowd by showing how she and her classmates benefitted from cutting-edge ideas and innovative teachers who use technology in the classroom.

Ms. Fernandez said that for her and her classmates: “Today, we have faster ways to share with each other and there is a community of other people collaborating. For example, when a CEO of a company responds to your app, no matter how young you are, you are challenged and you have to step up your game.”

For more information, the full list of presenters and to continue the conversation about the STEM Summit, visit www.community.macmillan.com/community/stemsummit.

For STEM resources and to find out how Scientific American engages citizen scientists, children, and adults with STEM topics, visit https://www.scientificamerican.com/education/.

How Can Hollywood Help? #sciamlearning

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This post originally appeared on Digital Science’s Event Blog: https://www.digital-science.com/blog/events/how-can-hollywood-help-sciamlearning/

By Laura Wheeler

 

On August 4th, I was honored to be invited to the 3rd annual STEM Summit, co-sponsored by Scientific American and Macmillan Education in New York. It proved to be an inspiring day discussing issues around women in STEM and today’s educational landscape.

If you want to see what was discussed during the event, I urge you to check out the active social media hashtag #sciamlearning, or to read Laura Wind’s summary of the Summit here. The hosts, Mariette DiChristina and Susan Winslow, did a phenomenal job at creating an interactive and thought-provoking day with real outputs.

I could pick out many highlights from the discussions, but for the purpose of this blog, I am going to concentrate on just one subject that was touched upon during the day- the role of Hollywood in portraying science:

Should scientists have a role in helping Hollywood portray science and the image of scientists? 

We were fortunate enough to hear from two inspirational scientists, Dr. Jon Sotos and Dr. Donna J. Nelson, the scientific advisors for the hit TV shows House and Breaking Bad. Their session was titled, “Changing The Idea Of Who Is STEM” and focused on how Hollywood can help.

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Jon and Donna

Popular media does have an impact on society and behaviors, but not all examples prove to be accurate. For instance, we were told during the Summit that applications for library cards went up by 500% after “The Fonz” said he was going to the library to pick up girls in the 1970s hit TV show “Happy Days.” It seems that this is actually a popular myth. Nevertheless, the sentiment remains and it’s certainly unsurprising to think that a TV show might have such an impact.

It would be encouraging if the impact of TV could be more positive. In contrast to the Happy Days’ story, an article in The Telegraph featuring Professor Ellis Cashmore, an author on celebrity and media culture, claims the global success of Breaking Bad could be to blame for the surge in crystal meth suggesting that the hit show instantly makes people “curious” about crystal meth. The inevitable question is: to what extent should the popular media be expected to balance its intended creativity and entertainment with its responsibility to society in general?

One recent controversial example is the film “Gravity” which received acclaim for raising the profile of certain areas of science while at the same time enduring criticism for its lack of scientific accuracy. In order to achieve its main aim of providing an exciting and original piece of entertainment, it seems that certain realities had to be sacrificed. In defence of it, Kevin Grazier, the science adviser for the film, reminded its critics that “No one said it was a documentary.” Is this an acceptable excuse? Does the plus side of engaging an audience’s interest in a science themed area make up for the many inaccuracies in the facts?

In contrast, the film Interstellar won praise for its attention to detail in the physics of the piece. It has been heralded as inspirational to young people who can gain real insight into topics such as black holes and wormholes without losing any pleasure in the drama of the story. The director of Interstellar, Christopher Nolan, feels that there is no excuse for getting the science wrong in a dramatic presentation, believing that the facts of science can only add to the audience’s fascination with the vast possibilities of the universe.

It’s clear Hollywood has a responsibility not only to portray science accurately and alongside that, to support the images of women in STEM. We need to have positive images of scientists in popular media and move away from the perpetuating stereotypes. The session concluded that what we need to do is reveal real scientists and women in STEM, while making sure we don’t romanticise and fictionalise them in the process.

One comforting fact, however, is that real scientists are being used to advise the scripts of hit Hollywood shows. Although advice can easily be ignored, explained Donna playfully; pure meth would certainly not be blue – perhaps advice the Breaking Bad directors overlooked? But of course, Walt needed a trademark – now that’s Hollywood!

Childhood dreams become reality after young inventor scoops Science in Action Award

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Kenneth Shinozuka: "Struck by the power of technology to change lives."

Kenneth Shinozuka: “Struck by the power of technology to change lives.”

Kenneth Shinozuka was six years old when he first found out his grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease. It was a bracing August morning and the police turned up at the door with his grandfather, dressed in nothing but his pyjamas. They found him two miles away, walking along the freeway. He had been walking through the night. That moment, back in 2005, would change his family forever.

Shocked and concerned by his grandfather’s tendencies to wander in the night, after numerous incidents, the budding inventor set about finding a solution. Shinozuka was by no means your average American six-year-old. Inspired by his parents, both of whom are civil engineering professors, he never tired of dreaming in his small bedroom about creating the next big invention.

Supremely smart and motivated, Shinozuka’s first invention was a device which would send an alert to a carer’s wristwatch when an elderly parent had fallen in the bathroom. Not content with his ‘Smart Bathroom’ idea, at the age of seven, he created a Smart Medicine Box that emits a sound and flashing light to remind patients to take the right medicine at the right time.

This week Shinozuka, now 15, from New York, has been announced as the third annual Scientific American Science in Action Award winner, receiving $50,000 and access to a year mentorship scheme, for his latest acclaimed invention. Scientific American’s Editor-in-Chief, Mariette DiChristina, describes the award’s ethos as “honouring a project that can make a practical difference by addressing an environmental, health or resources challenge.”

Shinozuka had his eureka moment while looking after his grandfather one evening and watching him step out of bed. “The moment his foot landed on the floor, a light bulb flashed in my head,” says Shinozuka. He continues “Why don’t I put a pressure sensor on the heel of his foot? The moment he steps onto the floor, the sensor would detect the pressure caused by his body weight, and the signal could wirelessly trigger an audible alert in my aunt’s smartphone.”

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Winner of The Quantum Shorts 2013: The Knight of Infinity

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Guest Post from Editor in Chief of Scientific American (part of Nature Publishing Group) Mariette DiChristina.

Timothy Yeo - CQT, National University of Singapore

Timothy Yeo – CQT, National University of Singapore

Quantum mechanics—operating at atom-size scales—is so odd in so many ways that even Einstein despairingly said of it that “God does not play dice with the world.”

Now this stranger-than-fiction discipline has inspired some first-class narrative thrills, including the winner of The Quantum Shorts 2013 competition in the International category, decided by the judges, and also the People’s Choice, decided by public voting: “The Knight of Infinity,” submitted by Brian Crawford. The flash-fiction contest (stories not to exceed 1,000 words), organized by the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore, drew more than 500 entries in this, its second, year.

As a media partner (I was one of the judges), Scientific American is pleased to share Crawford’s winning entry just below. You can find the rest of the winning entries here as well as other entries here.

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