The Orlando Science Center is asking state legislators to continue to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, programs throughout the state.
The STEM Day provides a forum for Florida science museums and advocates to speak with Florida legislators to promote STEM-based education programs.
At the event, Florida legislators will have the opportunity to interact with students, as well as participate in creative competitions, 3d printing projects and even robots.
STEM day encourages a hands-on learning approach, Orlando Science Center’s vice president, Jeff Stanford said. The forum demonstrates how these programs help inspire the next generation of STEM workers.
“It's really important during STEM Day that all these partners come together, and we demonstrate the impact that we make on the youth of our state and encouraging STEM education STEM careers showing the true innovation,” Stanford said.
In 2021, the STEM sector contributed $447 billion to the state’s economy, and STEM makes up 36% of Florida's GDP.
Stanford said this forum is to advocate to the state how comprehensive STEM programs are.
"It's really kind of important to connect with legislators on what STEM education really is," Stanford said. "What it consists of, you know, we look at STEM education. It's not just a series of topics it really is an important collection of skills. You know the skill set of communication, critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving."
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