About SC STEM Education Month

Why STEM?

Stakeholders on Why STEM Education Is Important in South Carolina

SC STEM Education Month could not happen without stakeholder support from education, government, community, and industry. We thank them for their efforts and contributions in STEM education. Learn why they believe STEM education is critical to South Carolina's economic future.

As educators, we are the decisive element in the classroom or digital classroom. We create the climate where we are an inspiration to our students for them to develop their capabilities in STEM education and careers to help them envision a brighter future.

Tracy Elmore

STEM/PLTW Teacher
2020 SC STEM Educator of the Year
Lugoff-Elgin Middle School
STEM Education is important to SC because education, particularly STEM education is the foundational component of success in the 21st century and crucial for society's ability to innovate, problem-solve, and compete.

Cheryl Wiggins

Senior Manager, Community and Public Affairs
FLUOR
STEM Education is important to SC because the continued economic growth depends on creating awareness about the workforce they will be entering in the very near future.  A quality STEM Education means that children will have the skill set to become productive citizens as adults.  A statistic I'd like to share about STEM education in SC is…providing exposure to STEM careers is a gift we can give our children by creating awareness of the world around them.

Shawn V. Boger

Regional Representative, Pre K-12 Programs
National Inventors Hall of Fame
STEM Education is important to the South Carolina Aquarium because science can spark the conservationists of tomorrow, lighting the way for kids to be lifelong advocates for water, wildlife and wild places.

Jaime Thom

School Programs Manager
South Carolina Aquarium
STEM Education is important to SC because it develops critical-thinking skills and promotes creativity that is required for innovation in a technological world.

Andrew Cook

Education Associate, Office of Career and Technical Education
South Carolina Department of Education
A STEM education is important to SC because of the great career and educational opportunities available in SC. Educational and career opportunities exist in healthcare, manufacturing, engineering, education, bio-technology, research and many more fields! A STEM education will ensure that SC and its citizens continue to prosper!

Donna Foster, PhD

Associate Vice President, Institutional Effectiveness and Compliance
Piedmont Technical College
STEM Education is important to SC, because STEM-related jobs in SC are in high demand. Employees with STEM-related skills are essential to the state’s economic progress and success.

Rebecca Short, PhD.

Director of Operations
Clemson University Center for Workforce Development
A quality STEM education gives students both the empathy to recognize the world's most pressing problems and the skills needed to effectively tackle those issues.

Kirstin Bullington

Next Energy Engineering Instructor
Richland Two Institute of Innovation
We actively support STEM education to ensure South Carolina students have the knowledge and opportunity for a career the life sciences in the Palmetto State!

Erin Ford

Executive VP & COO
SCBIO
STEM is everyday life. It is the questions you ask and the passion to pursue the answers. Education is built on STEM principles.

Alice Gilchrist

Retired Director of Client Services
S²TEM Centers SC
STEM Education is important to SC because…we are building our next generation workforce. STEM Education promotes industry growth and high paying employment opportunities within South Carolina, while supporting the overall mission of ensuring that the United States of America retains its position as a world leader.

Kelly Thompson

STEM Co-Director
Career Fairs and Career Academies Project Lead
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic
A quality STEM education is a foundation for participating in high-demand high-wage jobs. STEM education equips students with the necessary critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving skills they will need to tackle many of humanity's biggest challenges.

Joshua Sneideman

Vice President
Learning Blade
STEM education is important to SC because I believe in the great opportunities STEM Education provides our students and meets the needs of our business community.

Senator Thomas C. Alexander

South Carolina Senate
STEM education is important in SC because it empowers students with the skills and confidence to tackle real world challenges. STEM education creates well rounded students that can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. With a growing demand for a high tech workforce, STEM education is the solution to meeting the job needs of the present and future.

Chris Beyerle

Gateway PLTW Teacher
Phinnize J. Fisher MS
STEM Education is important to SC because we must empower young people to battle misinformation and disinformation about the world around them. When students use STEM, they have verifiable facts and scientific methods that they can apply in a world of alternative facts and anti-intellectualism. STEM sharpens the brain, stiffens the spine, and activates the hands and feet to put ideas into action.

Penny Delaney Cothran

Organizing Representative in Columbia, S.C.
Sierra Club

STEM Education is important to SC because it provides ALL children enriched learning opportunities that will enhance their lives.

STEM Education is important to SC because it provides all children the systematic critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are vital both when working individually and as part of a team.

A quality STEM Education means that students in ALL regions of SC are exposed to high quality enriched learning opportunities that only STEM experiences can provide.

True educational equity will only be manifested when all students are provided with high quality systemic STEMS learning experiences.

High quality systemic STEMS learning experiences are an essential component required for true educational equity in SC.

Dr. Jeff Lee

Professor Emeritus
Francis Marion University
A quality STEM Education means reaching every student, erasing barriers and stereotypes. It is embracing diversity making sure every aspect of these classes is equitable and is infused into all classes core and electives never having to leave any class wondering, "Why do I have to learn _____?" Teachers have to begin class with the answer or at least close with it. If more students understood how the standards related to careers, then more would be invested in the class and be exposed to hundreds of careers if we start as early as kindergarten.

Beth Thomas

Career and Technical Education Coordinator
High Point Academy

STEM system, compared to the traditional K-12 classrooms, offers a higher quality education due to the transformation of the students’ interaction between themselves, teachers, and professionals in the STEM fields. Through the system, students can learn about teamwork and collaboration between themselves and peers and with teachers. Students conduct researches and experiments with individuals who help them understand both the concept and skill of how the researches related to real-world applications. A quality STEM education is also the one that enhances the connection between students and society by allowing them to interact with professionals involved in the fields that the STEM system focuses on, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The connection and interactions help them identify their strong areas in the fields, thus deciding on the areas they would like to be involved in to help the society.

Download STEM Education in South Carolina

Warren Wise

2019 SC STEM Educator the Year
Science Teacher
Kelly Mill Med Pro Middle
Providing teachers resources to begin STEM and Computer Science education earlier is important to building South Carolina's future workforce. Learning Blade is happy to support this growth and encourage young students to learn about STEM and CS career pathways.

Sheila Boyington

CEO
Learning Blade

Why celebrate STEM education?

South Carolina attracts leading manufacturers from the automotive, aerospace, life sciences, technology, and advanced manufacturing industries.  Each of these industries needs skilled STEM professionals from college to certificate programs. 

Opportunities exist for those with STEM-skills to:

  • help assemble airplanes in North Charleston,
  • work for a leading global provider of technology products and solutions in Greenville,
  • join one of the world's leading automotive manufacturer's in Greer,
  • engineer the world's largest tires in Lexington County, or
  • work for a world leader in generic respiratory medication manufacturing in Columbia.

We celebrate the:

  • educators that work daily to prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue STEM careers.
  • school administrators that orchestrate STEM initiatives and programs geared toward teaching and learning success.
  • community organizations that provide supplemental STEM learning experiences for students.
  • industry and business partners that provide mentors, internships and support to schools and communities.
  • students that commit to pursue STEM-careers in South Carolina.