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Carnegie Science Fall 20156 textbooks he remarked give no understandable explanations. Critical concepts like the remarkable fact that a cell can self-replicate is missed in most materials.In science education it should be that before you are told the answer you should struggle with the problem. We are doing the complete opposite he said. And it continues at all levels. Alberts believes that the Next Generation Science Standards provide a great opportunity. The National Academy of Sciences produced the framework for those standards.It talks about emphasizing the practice of science. This will only happen if scientists help. It will not happen otherwise because most teachers have only experienced big lecture classes no active inquiry learning in science. They are not familiar with the kind of teaching that we want them to do. What is really needed is a partnership between scientists and teachers. He also discussed why a STEM education has much broader implications. All people need to think more scientifically he said. There is so much irrationality around the world. He talked about democracy in India an incredibly diverse nation religiously and linguistically.We cant have a democracy without the spirit of science he remarked. He talked about what he calls a scientific temperpeople who are tolerant of others who look at issues rationally and at the evidence at stake and who are not fooled by slogans.This is critical for every nation. It is reason for scientists all around the world to get organized and work together he said. Karl ReidExecutive Director for the National Society of Black Engineers NSBE has been involved in STEM outreach since his freshman year at MIT. So he and NSBE also takes the long and practical view. In 2008 Bureau of Labor statistics projected that there would be a 17 increase in STEM jobs by 2018.So the demand is there he said.The market needs this technical workforce in terms of economic security and national security. But more so engineering creates and produces solutions that serve the common good. Think about the quality of life that we have today. Its because the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century have been operationalized. The National Academies produced this list of the 20 top engineering achieve- ments of the 20th century air conditioning the superhighway system airplanes aerospace and computers. The things . . . that boost the quality of life. Think about what the 21st century will look like. We need engineers. Beyond that we need engineers in our communities to solve problems. So we are trying to increase the representation of young people from 4 to 12. NSBE has set a vision to exceed parity in terms of the black population to produce more solutions and solve problems that are not just in the country and community but also across the world. Bruce Alberts is an icon in STEM outreach for his decades of work. He was the president of the National Academy of Sciences 1993 to 2005 former Editor-In-Chief of Science 2009-2013 National Medal of Science Award winner 2014 and the current Chancellors Leadership Chair in Biochemistry and Biophysics for Science and Education at the University of California San Francisco. He became aware of the need for revamping science education through his children.Like every- body he saidit starts when you have kids. You see whats happening to them in school. You recognize that what they are doing in school is not teaching science. They teach science words which fails to reflect the nature of science. The world is interest- ing and its not a place where you memorize all the facts. It is more important to understand the process of discovery. The problem with memorization is twofold according to Alberts. A word does not mean anything without its repeated use in a variety of contexts. And if a child memorizes two to three sentences about something like the endoplasmic reticulum the sentences dont make any sense to them. It is merely an exercise in word association.Science is taught this way partly because it is easy for fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice tests. The of U.S. adults agree God created humans in present form within the last 10000 years. 69Attend church weekly 47Attend church Nearly weekly or monthly 23Seldom Never attend Church 1940 1960 1980 1950 1970 1990 2000 2013 Percentage of population 25 and older who completed high school or college 1940 to 2013 20 40 60 80 high school college U.S. Census Bureau