Blog Layout

Pharmaceutical industry issues call to action on STEM

Jan 23, 2014

PhRMA, the organization that represents American pharmaceutical companies, has released a new report on how strengthening America’s standing in STEM is “critical to continued scientific and technological innovation.” The report is well worth reading and anyone interested in STEM should  head over to PhRMA.org to download a copy.   (Full disclosure: the report was authored by Battelle’s Technology Practice division. While Battelle  operates STEMx network through a venture called  BattelleEd , the STEMx network was not directly involved in the creation of this report.)

Read on for a few key highlights from the report.

STEM’s in demand now, and in the future

It’s hard to miss the impact of the recession on even the STEM economy, but this chart shows just how fast the need for STEM-capable employees will continue to grow.

PhRMA members are supporting a wide range of programs

STEM activities from PhRMA report We believe bringing businesses into the conversation about advancing STEM education is essential. In fact, we require every new applicant to our network to show a link to a major business in their state. So we’re glad to see PhRMA’s members devoting time and resources to STEM. We’ve also seen that there isn’t one right answer when it comes to great STEM programs. So it’s great to see that these companies are supporting such a wide range of activities.

A familiar name
In fact, our very own STEMx network collaborator in Indiana, the I-STEM Resource Network , gets a shout-out in this report.

Celebrating the 2023 STEM Innovation Forum

By Rob Evans • 01 Nov, 2023
by Heather Sherman, Director of STEMx The 2023 STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce was a success! Through our collaboration with STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors, we convened 160 leaders from industry, government, non-profit organizations, and education institutions from all over the United States to discuss strategies and best practices to support the STEM workforce. We were honored to host a variety of dynamic speakers including: Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado Brynt Parmeter, Chief Talent Management Officer, U.S. Department of Defense Dr. Athina Kanioura, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, PepsiCo and Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, Founder and CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences (RoX). We extend our gratitude to our panelists, Learning Session speakers, and participants who joined us in Denver. Broadening participation We set out share information on trends in STEM education and workforce development, with an emphasis on broadening participation in STEM careers. Resources from sessions highlighting strategies for broadening participation are linked below: DoD STEM: Developing a STEM Workforce to Support the National Security Mission Priming the Pump for High Demand STEM Careers STEM Workforce Readiness for Teen Girls: “If She Can See It, She Can Be It” Driving change Another goal of the forum was to feature high impact strategies, programs and solutions that are driving change, and STEMx members from LASTEM , the PAST Foundation and MBRT showed how they are engaging youth and building career awareness through their workforce programs. Emerging technologies We looked towards the future to better understand how emerging technologies will change the world and the ways we must prepare STEM talent for jobs in logistics, artificial intelligence, research safety , bioenergy , and renewable technologies. Chevron‘s sponsored panel, “Cultivating the Talent to Drive the Innovation and Technologies for Ever-Cleaner Energy” was a rich discussion featuring experts from Chevron, Project Lead the Way and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Jamie Vernon, Executive Director, and CEO, Sigma Xi Society was a fantastic moderator for this discussion. Next steps We have linked event resources including videos, slide decks and collateral on the event landing page . The event photo gallery is located there as well. If you attended, please complete our 30 second event survey . Five lucky winners will be selected at random to receive a Forum water bottle! More importantly, your feedback matters to us. If you did not attend, mark your calendar for next fall - we’re looking to make next year even bigger! If you are interested in hosting in your state, or have thoughts about compelling content that we should include, please reach out to Heather Sherman .

STEM Innovation Forum: Agenda and New Sponsors

By Rob Evans • 03 Oct, 2023
Join us for The STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce
Share by: