November 8th marks National STEM Day, a celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education throughout the U.S. Its purpose is to encourage and inspire our youth to explore and pursue the field of STEM by highlighting its immense value and the role that these disciplines play in innovation, problem-solving, and helping to make the world a better place.
There are a number of ways to celebrate National STEM Day. Read below to learn more.
Tour a virtual science museum
You don’t have to plan a trip to celebrate National STEM Day. Take a virtual tour of a museum and explore the world of STEM from your own home. See below for a list of museums to tour virtually.
The National Museum of Computing
The National Museum of Natural History
Discover resources to enhance engineering and STEM education
Whether you’re a professor of chemical engineering looking for process safety education resources or a K–12 teacher looking for modules to supplement your STEM class, ILI has the resources to help shape your curriculum.
Spread the word about FOSSI
In November of 2020, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Chemours, and HBCU Week Foundation partnered to establish the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI). This national industrywide program seeks to increase the number of underrepresented professionals in the STEM workforce by providing scholarships to students pursuing preferred STEM degrees at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Since the start of the program, FOSSI has awarded 595 exceptional high-school seniors $40,000 scholarships ($10,000 per year) to pursue preferred STEM degrees at HBCUs. The program is now accepting applicants for 2024.
Learn about AIChE’s K-12 community
AIChE’s K-12 community developed as a way to increase interest, awareness, and excitement for science and engineering in K–12 students and prepare future engineering students and professionals to creatively solve technical challenges in an ethical, environmentally responsible, and socially conscious way.
In 2019, AIChE held its first K–12 Chemical Engineering STEM Showcase event in Orlando. Watch the video below for an inside look into how the K–12 community is changing the lives of future STEM students:
K-12 Students Learn about Chemical Engineering – AIChE STEM Event
Visit Aiche.org/k-12 to learn more about the community, sign up, discover free educational materials, and more.
Check out some photos of the most recent K-12 STEM Showcase below: