The Carnegie Science Center has teamed up with the Chevron Center to grow and promote a STEM Education and Career Development. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Those are fields that provide high-paying employment opportunities, but there are not always large numbers of students seeking out those fields.
The goal of the center is to grow the next generation of highly-skilled workers for the high-tech jobs. Officials said that the math and science fields employ many southwestern Pennsylvania residents in medicine, higher education, technology, and oil and gas extraction. The program will focus on building interest with elementary through high school students in education and career paths that would lead to those jobs.
Partnering with Chevron and other corporations, foundations, and institutions, the center will manage existing programs, such as the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair, while at the same time launching new efforts.
"We think that the informal educational opportunities that we do are something special, something that can't always happen in the classroom because of resources," said John Radzilowicz, Director of Science and Education at the Carnegie Science Center.
Neither the Science Center nor Chevron would disclose exactly how much money is being contributed to this endeavor, only saying that millions will be committed over the next three to five years.
