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BHEF U.S. STEM Education Model Gains Exposure
Model is demonstrated during a National Academies’ Board on Higher Education and Workforce meeting
Contact: Pamela Lessard 202-367-1284, Alex Sittig 202-367-2393
Washington, DC (March 15, 2010) — Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) Executive Director Brian K. Fitzgerald today briefed the National Academies’ Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW) on BHEF’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Initiative and demonstrated the BHEF U.S. STEM Education Model.
This first-ever simulation and modeling tool for improving U.S. STEM education was built by the Raytheon Company, which is led by BHEF member William H. Swanson and donated to BHEF in 2009, when BHEF released the model in open source. Swanson serves as chairman and CEO of Raytheon and as vice chair of BHEF. The model is free, and enables researchers, policymakers, and educators to explore scenarios that can strengthen U.S. STEM education and workforce outcomes.
“We are very excited about the potential of the BHEF U.S. STEM Education Model to shape how policymakers address the challenges in increasing the production of STEM graduates in the U.S. The model is able to simulate how changes in retention of highly effective teachers in middle and high school and increases in persistence of STEM undergraduates influence the number of STEM graduates,” says BHEF Executive Director Brian K. Fitzgerald. “It truly is a powerful new tool for education policymakers.”
In addition to releasing the model into open source in July 2009, BHEF—with partners Raytheon and The Ohio State University—has advanced its STEM Research and Modeling Network (SRMN) to support the modeling effort. The SRMN brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, corporations and funders, all of whom share the goal of using simulation modeling and similar tools to identify ways that student interest, participation and achievement in the STEM fields can be strengthened.
Current forecasts of student degree attainment in the United States suggest that the U.S. will not produce enough STEM graduates at the two- or four-year college level to meet employer demand. The development of this model and the accompanying SRMN represent the mobilization of a community committed to aggressively addressing this challenge through innovative tools.
Learn more about the BHEF U.S. STEM Education Model at http://www.bhef.com/solutions/stem/model.asp.
At the National Academies, the BHEW provides government, academic, and industry leadership with analyses, insights, and recommendations designed to inform action on issues in higher education and the science and engineering workforce. BHEW is a unit of the Policy and Global Affairs Division of the National Research Council.
About the Business-Higher Education Forum
The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) is an organization of Fortune 500 CEOs, prominent college and university presidents, and foundation leaders working to advance solutions to the nation’s education challenges in order to enhance U.S. competitiveness. BHEF brings together an extraordinary coalition of corporate, academic, and foundation members to influence public policy and to inspire other corporate, academic, and foundation leaders to act. Online at www.bhef.com.
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