The National Science Foundation has appointed the members of a panel that will support and advise a federal interagency committee on programs for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education pursuant to the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act.
Congress authorized the establishment of the 18-member STEM Education Advisory Panel that will evaluate the Committee on STEM’s efforts for the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act and help determine possible updates to the 2013-2018 Federal STEM Education 5-year Strategic Plan, NSF said Wednesday.
France Cordova, NSF director and co-chairperson of CoSTEM, said the panel will aid the committee and partner agencies in the development of CoSTEM’s next five-year plan on strategic investments for future STEM researchers.
NASA provides educational and engagement opportunities to students and teachers through the agency’s spectrum of work and aims to continue initiatives that will “help fill the pipeline of new explorers”, said Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and CoSTEM co-chairperson.
The Education Department intends to partner with the panel to develop STEM education for American students, said Betsy DeVos, Education secretary and CoSTEM member.
Tim Gallaudet, acting undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and member of CoSTEM, said he plans to collaborate and accommodate recommendations from the panel to help NOAA employ STEM for economic development, natural resource conservation and the protection of lives and properties.
NSF consulted the department, NASA and NOAA during the panel member selection process. The panel will be headed by Gabriela Gonzalez, Intel‘s deputy director for the Intel Foundation, as chairwoman, and David Evans, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, as vice-chairman.