Students at Jasper High School build robots, race cars and super-mileage cars that get 500 miles per gallon. At Huntingburg Elementary, students learn to program and operate small robots during the school day and in after-school programs, and at Lincoln Trail Elementary, some students coded a Christmas light sequence for the White House.
It’s all part of a national effort to get American students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
STEM-related fields such as medicine, engineering and computer science are the fastest-growing sectors in the world. The U.S. Department of Education projects a 14 percent increase in STEM-related jobs between 2010 and 2020, and other studies project faster growth. But American students aren’t learning the skills necessary to fill the future STEM positions. A 2013 article from the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy projected 1.4 million computer science jobs by 2020, but only 400,000 college graduates with the skills to fill them. Local industries already struggle to fill openings in STEM fields.
“At Kimball International, it is a challenge to recruit individuals with the coveted STEM skills,” Lonnie Nicholson, vice president, chief administration officer at Kimball International, said in an email. “I feel that part of the challenge is that students do not realize that manufacturing companies like Kimball International have many career paths for STEM skills.”
Some STEM opportunities at Kimball include engineering, product testing, environmental compliance and sustainability and research and development.
Local schools expose students to STEM topics through extracurricular activities, classes or both. Sometimes principals use part of their discretionary funds to help pay for tech, but most of the programs are funded through grants; myriad industries and nonprofits offer grants for STEM education. School corporations in Dubois and Spencer counties have linked with Project Lead the Way, a national nonprofit dedicated to STEM education, to offer high school students introductory engineering, manufacturing and other vocational classes. These classes not only teach students skills professionals use but also show students the kinds of jobs available to people with such skills.
“At the high school level, we’re trying to get kids experience in the STEM fields so when they get to college, they have an idea of ‘Yeah, I like that,” said Fred Routson, technology teacher at JHS.
After school, JHS students can further hone their STEM skills on the robotics or super-mileage teams. The super-mileage team builds race cars and cars that average at least 500 mpg, but Routson said the cars need to net at least 1,000 mpg to be competitive. They’re working on a new car now. Robotics team members build remote-controlled robots from scratch and compete in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, FIRST, Robotics competition. The season will start in January when FIRST releases the year’s challenge. The teams then have six weeks to design and build their robots. A base kit that includes the motor and basic frame is included in the $5,000 registration fee, but teams have to purchase additional parts to the robots their own. Last year, the teams had to build a robot that could move recycling bins and throw away bags of trash.
“It’s like a little family,” said senior Kaden Gosman, 17. “You start to pick out whose design is whose and see everybody’s thought, their personality, make it onto the robot.”
Huntingburg Elementary piloted its robotics program last year. It began with Sphero robots, ball-shaped machines students can program to move in different directions, in the after-school program known as Raiders Involved in Daily Growth and Enrichment.
“It’s getting the kids to think differently,” said John Seger, principal at Huntingburg Elementary. “Maybe a little more analytically.”
By the end of the year, teachers integrated the Spheros into class work, and Huntingburg Elementary had a robotics club. The club works with autonomous LEGO Mindstorm robots members construct and program. Wyatt Scherer of Huntingburg, 11, likes building more than programming.
“I get to build whatever I want to as long as it does the task,” Scherer said. “We can make something really cool and it doesn’t take very long.”
Caitlyn Frick of Huntingburg, 10, prefers programming.
“It’s fun to see what happens with your robot,” Frick said. “It can be frustrating but when you finally get it, it’s exciting.”
STEM education is not reserved for robotics clubs. Local school corporations are moving their technology ration to 1:1 (one device per student). Ideally, each student in a class has his or her own computer, usually an iPad or Chromebook laptop. Such a setup sharpens students’ technology skills while learning core subjects. Lincoln Trail Elementary has already achieved a 1:1 ratio.
“All the kids can be working and utilizing the technology and the money spent on it at the same time, often collaborating on a project,” said Ben Lawalin, principal at Lincoln Trail.
Lawalin said getting Lincoln Trail’s teachers on board with using the technology as a teaching tool even if they weren’t all familiar with it helped spur the program forward.
“Even though they didn’t learn that way doesn’t mean doesn’t mean the kids now can’t,” Lawalin said. “What teachers are great at is facilitating classroom discussion — asking the kids questions. The technology is another tool for that.”
The Huntingburg Public Library is running a summer program with STEM-related activities as well. Last week, elementary-aged kids built model bridges out of pennies to introduce them to engineering. Eric Vanegas of Huntingburg, 11, balanced a pyramid of pennies atop three stacks to create his bridge. Each time he added a penny, he held his breath so he wouldn’t accidentally topple the structure.
“It’s difficult, but it’s fun,” Vanegas said.
Increased STEM programming does not come at the expense of other programs. Students at Lincoln Trail attend weekly music, art and gym classes, but the school added a weekly computer science class. High school students are still required take a certain number of foreign language, English, history and music or art classes, depending on which diploma they aim to achieve. The added STEM courses simply provide an outlet for students who are interested in those topics.
“A lot of teachers look at school as a basket,” Seger said. “You try to stuff things in the basket during the school day, and STEM is just one of those things.”