Filling Gaps in STEM Education
Encouraging an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is important regardless of your child’s age, but it’s particularly crucial during middle and high school when students begin considering career options.
The University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute is partnering with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), the University of Tennessee Institute for Agriculture, 4-H and middle schools across the state, to launch a pilot of a new hands-on, year-round STEM program for sixth graders in August 2024.
13
point improvement in students
science scores in the US since 2006.
23%
of the US workforce is comprised of jobs requiring science and engineering skills.
$55,000
median annual salary for STEM workers in 2019 versus $33,000 for non-STEM workers.
Creating Opportunity For UndergraduateS
UT-ORII continues STEM education efforts beyond grades K-12. Each year, UT-ORII seeks the nation’s best and brightest undergraduates for the Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMaRT) summer internship program. SMaRT interns have the unique opportunity to work daily with researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and UT for 10 weeks over the summer.