Want to learn more? I’ll be teaching an online MATLAB course at Holyoke Community College. If you are anywhere in the world and interested in taking an online course with me drop an email to gsnyder@hcc.edu
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
My MATLAB Course Introduction for Scientists and Engineers
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Gordon F Snyder Jr
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Labels: algorithms, data analysis, Engineering, Mathematics, models, Science
Monday, May 2, 2016
STEM Studies: The Future of Engineering
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9D9VmAguhpp3f_PvssNXqCXgoYmHymRUlYHSnu-E5zkZt4IfnQEQEj1f1Vw2rhCV9-b3Qc0HTf1xrvwgIKK38Uy09BuqQXByfEhT-CTUp0MKpfEqJbfDKF6-uHM4T_RWHuxdMLPvLUSU/s200/Lauren-Willison-Author-Image+%25282%2529.png)
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Gordon F Snyder Jr
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4:21 PM
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Labels: Careers, Engineering, Math, Mathematics, Science, STEM, Technology
Friday, December 28, 2012
STEM Education: Preparing for the Jobs of the Future
Lack of a science and math foundation at an early age, underprepared teachers, cultural issues.... can it be fixed? I encourage everyone to read the report.
- Science and technology curriculums are often thin in K-12 education, and may not be enough to provide students with a solid foundation in STEM upon which to build.
- Part of the problem is that it is challenging to attract and retain STEM-trained individuals to teach STEM subjects at the K-12 level when higher wages and employment opportunities outside of the education sector make working in a STEM profession an attractive alternative.
- Furthermore, while the quality of math and science teaching is the greatest factor in improving student achievement in STEM fields, not enough K-12 math and science teachers have hands-on experience working in STEM.
- Teachers may also lack an educational background in STEM. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) found that 36 percent of middle school science teachers and approximately 30 percent of middle school math teachers lack in-field training.
- Finally, there is the matter of culture. While not easy to quantify, to the extent that math and science are not considered “cool” among image-conscious high school students, inevitably many talented young people will be turned off from pursuing degrees and careers in STEM fields. Women may be particularly unlikely to pursue STEM as a result of gender and cultural norms.
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Gordon F Snyder Jr
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3:36 PM
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Labels: Education, Engineering, Mathematics, Science, teaching, Technology
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
"Scientists Standing Side By Side With Athletes and Entertainers"
These are words from President Obama yesterday in his announcement of a new Educate to Innovate Campaign to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Most of us know excelling in STEM, when compared to the rest of the world, has not been something we've been very good at recently in the United States. Our kids currently rank 21st in science and 25th in math compared with students in other countries. The new campaign will include:
- A two-year Sesame Street math and science push;
- An after-school robotics program;
- A national hands-on scientific learning "lab" day, and
- An annual White House science fair that will publicize top scientists and their achievements.
I'm not a big golf fan but am impressed with golfer Phil Mickelson's ExxonMobil Teachers Academy where, each summer, 600 third- through fifth-grade teachers from school districts across the country attend Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academies. The Academies offer a five-day program, with camps in New Jersey, Texas and Louisiana, designed to provide third- through fifth-grade teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to motivate students to pursue careers in science and math.
President Obama's initiative looks like it will provide an opportunity for more professional athletes and also entertainers to get involved. It would be nice to see some of them sign on.
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Gordon F Snyder Jr
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2:28 PM
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Labels: Athletes, Education, Engineering, Entertainers, Mathematics, Science, Sports, Technology
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Women in the Technical Workplace
I did say I was taking a blog sabbatical this week to work on proposals but could not pass up using some time at lunch to write this up......
The Boston Herald has an interesting piece today titled Looking out for working women. The article focuses on the work done over the past ten years at the Center for Women and Work at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The Center is involved in a number of nationally focused programs, including Project Working WISE, funded by a $240,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
Project Working WISE started in January 2006 and successfully planned and organized an intergenerational and interdisciplinary conference in April of 2007 on workplace factors associated with women's success in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Since the conference, Project Working WISE has concentrated on outreach and dissemination of results.
Here's a quote from the Herald piece:
The Center will celebrate its tenth anniversary on October 23rd in honor of U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas.
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Gordon F Snyder Jr
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12:33 PM
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Labels: Engineering, Mathematics, National Science Foundation, Science, STEM, Technology, Women