According to the U.S. Department of Labor, jobs requiring science, engineering and technical training has increased 51 percent through 2008. In order to prepare the youth of our society for these careers, more than 200,000 new teachers in math and science will be needed in the next decade, according to estimates by groups such as the Business-Higher Education Forum in Washington.
New York State, in particular, needs more people with math and science skills to meet the growing job demand as well as teachers in the fields. When compared internationally, U.S. students do not even rank among the top 10 in mathematics or science. At the same time, popularity around the Web, video games, computers, netbooks and smart phones are skyrocketing. With young people so interested in these topics, how can we use these trends to entice them to study for careers in math and science?
IBM has long worked in communities across the country to try and do just that. Next week the company will invite girls from Isaac Young Middle School, Palisade Preparatory School, Peekskill Middle School, and Urban Assembly School for Applied Math & Science to the world headquarters for IBM Research, located in Yorktown Heights, NY to demonstrate how fun science really is. The seventh annual camp, Girl’s Go TechKnow, will put these young ladies side by side with some of the most brilliant minds in the world, learning how to solve real-world problems using math, science and technology. IBM hopes to expose these girls to a broad scope of technology while encouraging them to take their place among the future innovators using hands-on and educational activities that include:
· Robotics- Create a robot that dances and plays music to develop software engineering and system programming skills.
· Geocaching – High-tech treasure hunt using a GPS device to locate hidden containers.
· Kitchen Chemistry- Break down chemical properties of items around the house.
The event will take place August 5 – 6, 2010.
