As the push for STEM education gains momentum, many schools strive to earn their STEM certification. However, there’s a common misconception that STEM is solely about engaging in hands-on science experiments like building robots or circuits. While these activities are indeed valuable, they represent just a fraction of what STEM encompasses. One of the most vital components of STEM is often overlooked: Computer Science.
Walk into any STEM-focused classroom, and you might see students enthusiastically constructing bridges or building rockets. These activities are popular because they are highly engaging and produce tangible results that make learning visible and exciting. However, this narrow view misses the broader and more integrative nature of STEM education, which includes not just practical experiments but also theoretical and computational learning. This narrow scope can prove to be detrimental to students, due to it blinding them from seeing the broader scope of opportunities within the STEM field.
Computer Science, a fundamental part of technology in STEM, is much more than just coding. It encompasses programming, algorithms, data structures, and cybersecurity, among other areas. Modern innovations such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain are driven by advances in Computer Science. These fields not only fuel the tech world but also revolutionize many other industries such as healthcare, finance, education, and entertainment. Understanding these areas provides students with the skills to innovate and adapt in an ever-changing digital landscape.
Computer Science also offers a vast array of subfields, each with unique career opportunities. These include Software Development and Engineering, Data Science and Analytics, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Networks and Systems, and Game Development, to name a few. Each career path further branches into specialized niche areas, creating a whole digital world of opportunity that often goes unrecognized. Our modern world would cease to function without the critical roles filled by professionals in these fields. As society becomes increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, the risk of cyber-attacks grows, making programmers and cybersecurity experts our first line of defense. Alarmingly, there are currently 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions globally, a 350 percent increase from 2013. Which is expected to remain through at least 2025. Without more students enrolling in Computer Science and cybersecurity courses now, we face a potential crisis in the next decade according to experts from the Cybersecurity Ventures ISC2 and Cybercrime magazine.
The true essence of STEM education lies in its integrated approach, where each component is given its due diligence. By recognizing and incorporating Computer Science into the STEM curriculum, we can better prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the future. After all, the next generation of technological innovators and protectors against cyber threats will come from these very classrooms.
Written by:
2024 Summer Intern, Tresor D.