STEM Leadership Conference Makes STEM Diversity A National Priority
#STEMsolve unites nation's brightest minds to solve STEM crisis.
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,000 of the country's leaders in education, industry and policy assembled in San Diego, CA from June 29-July 1 to address the ongoing shortage of STEM workers. The U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference united prominent STEM practitioners to make STEM diversity a national priority.
As the STEM movement's only national leadership conference, U.S. News STEM Solutions focused on identifying sustainable solutions for filling the STEM jobs pipeline. U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez, shared his commitment to connecting ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs, promoting gender equality in the workplace and ensuring veterans have access to equal employment opportunities.
Conference highlights included visits from Leland Melvin, U.S. Astronaut and Host of Lifetime's "Child Genius," Faridodin "Fredi" Lajvardi, Program Director of Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix and Andrea Beaty, New York Times bestselling author of "Rosie Revere, Engineer." Boeing, GM, Qualcomm, JP Morgan Chase and Bayer made impressionable appearances that ignited a buzz among attendees. A compelling closing keynote panel featured executives from leading technology companies – Cisco, Intel and GoDaddy – on improving diversity in the technology sector. With such empowering content, attendees were hyper-engaged through social media and onsite discussions.
"The sessions were very insightful. I learned about specific STEM issues in the education system and how STEM should be promoted at a young age. It's important for us to learn about creating that pipeline so we can get qualified individuals for our organization." - Kimberly Martinez, Service Systems Engineer at Raytheon.
"The focus is heavy on attendee interaction and it seems that the conversations are moving forward towards a more mature discussion on STEM education - what corporations need, what our educational systems are looking for and how they can tackle those challenges together." - Paul Ainslie, I-STEM Resource.
As part of the conference, U.S. News partnered with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that distributes books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families. U.S News and First Book donated 1,000 new backpacks and 3,000 new STEM books, including U.S. News' "A Parent's Guide to STEM," to programs and schools within the San Diego community, including Avondale Elementary School, Blue Star Families and The STEAM Academy at La Presa Middle School. U.S. Representative of California's 53rd Congressional District, Susan Davis, was on hand to lend her support to the cause. U.S. News also donated an additional 5,000 books to San Diego community organizations in need.
U.S. News STEM Solutions extends a special thank you to the Presenting Sponsor, Chevron. Recognizing the necessity of building a diverse workforce, Chevron provided exceptional guidance and support throughout the event.
"Chevron is an engineering company at heart, and needs people qualified in science, technology, engineering and math in our workforce," said Blair Blackwell, Manager of Education and Corporate Programs for Chevron. "We are delighted to have partnered with U.S. News STEM Solutions to highlight the best practices and programs that are succeeding in building a talented STEM workforce, and to inspire young people, from elementary school all the way through college, to pursue STEM fields."
U.S. News looks forward to carrying the momentum from this year's event into 2016. The U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference will be held May 18-20, 2016 in Baltimore, MD, a city proactively growing STEM initiatives.
To view the U.S. News STEM Solutions 2015 photo gallery, visit http://usnewsstemsolutions.com/photo-gallery/.
About U.S. News STEM Solutions
The National Leadership Conference is a mission-critical event focused on the shortage of science, technology, engineering and math skills in the American workforce. Produced by U.S. News & World Report, it brings the issue onto the national stage and assembles major corporations, leading educators, top policy makers and education technology companies in order to create the collective impact needed to fill jobs now and advance the future STEM workforce. For up-to-date information, visit http://www.USNewsSTEMSolutions.com. Connect with U.S. News STEM Solutions on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. 30 million people visit www.usnews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
SOURCE U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference
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