Advancing STEM
OEF President, Jimmy Sparks, PE, Region Leader, OLSSON, recently testified before House Interim Study No. 23-039, “Challenges in Maintenance & Improvement: Government, Construction & Engineering Industries.”
Presentation
Improving STEM Education in Oklahoma
Jimmy Sparks, PE, OEF President and Region Leader for OLSSON, recently testified before the Interim House Study on Challenges in Maintenance and Improvement: Government, Construction & Engineering Industries. His presentation covered the following 7 Ways To Advance STEM Education in Oklahoma.
IDEA #1 SUPPORT BROADBAND EXPANSION
- 90 percent of our school districts are considered partly or entirely rural.
- About 1 in 4 Oklahom90 percent of our school districts are considered partly or entirely rural.
About 1 in 4 Oklahoma students don’t have high-speed Internet at home. - Because of lack of Internet connectivity, rural students often do not have the resources they need to learn and explore outside the classroom.
- In 2022, 46.1 percent of Oklahoma lacked the capacity to achieve high-speed broadband access. Many can’t afford it.
a students don’t have high-speed Internet at home. - Because of lack of Internet connectivity, rural students often do not have the resources they need to learn and explore outside the classroom.
- In 2022, 46.1 percent of Oklahoma lacked the capacity to achieve high-speed broadband access. Many can’t afford it.
IDEA #2 INCREASE SUPPORT FOR MATHCOUNTS OKLAHOMA
- MATHCOUNTS is a nationawide nonprofit. OEF houses and directs the program for Oklahoma with generous private sector funding from AMERICAN FIDELITY.
- The mission of MATHCOUNTS is to increase enthusiasm for and enhance achievement in middle school mathematics throughout Oklahoma. We engage middle school students of all ability and interest levels in fun, challenging math programs, in order to expand their academic and professional opportunities.
- Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of mathematics must be overcome. MATHCOUNTS provides students with the kinds of experiences that foster growth and transcend fear to lay a foundation for future success.
IDEA #3 ALLOCATE FUNDING TO HIGHER ED TO STIMUMLATE STEM GROWTH
- The Legislature has played a key role in developing the next generation of engineers. Let’s keep it going!
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oklahoma will continue to generate a demand for more than 3,000 new engineers a year through 2028 as the industry continues to grow. Those jobs offer stability and high pay, which without the regents’ investment, could have gone to engineers from other states but now can stay in Oklahoma. (Oklahoma State University)
IDEA #4 MAKE COLLEGE MORE AFFORDABLE
- TIME and COST are major barriers to a college degree in the United States.
- The most cited reason among young adults for not pursuing STEM degrees or careers was time and cost barriers. The extremely high costs of attending university in the U.S. inhibits many students from pursuing a degree at all. After earning a high school diploma, many students enter the workforce immediately, lacking the funds and time it would take to pursue a college degree.
- The extremely high costs of attending university in the U.S. inhibits many students from pursuing a degree at all. In fact, after earning a high school diploma, many students opt to enter the workforce immediately, lacking the funds and time it would take to pursue a college degree.
IDEA #5 IMPROVE ACCESS TO ADEQUATE HS LEVEL MATH, SCIENCE CURRICULUM
- Across the U.S., more than half of high schools do not offer calculus, four out of ten do not offer physics, more than one in four do not offer chemistry, and more than one in five do not offer Algebra II a gateway class for STEM success in college.
IDEA #6 INCREASE Qualified Instruction
- 74% of students successfully graduating with a degree in STEM identified poor instruction early on as a major barrier to success.
IDEA #7 SUPPORT STEM PROGRAMMING IN YOUR DISTRICTS
- SUPPORT LOCAL EFFORTS: There are many wonderful STEM initiatives across Oklahoma. Encourage the schools in your district to show and participate.
- 43rd ANNUAL OKLAHOMA ENGINEERING FAIR:
The Oklahoma Engineering Fair features eight engineering competitions. It is FREE and open to Oklahoma students 6th-12th grade.
OK HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
CHAIRS
Representative Ronny Johns, Chair
Representative Jim Grego, Vice Chair
MEMBERS
Representative Sherrie Conley
Representative Denise Crosswhite-Hader
Representative Bob Culver
Representative Eddy Dempsey
Representative Mike Dobrinski
Representative Regina Goodwin
Representative Neil Hays
Representative Annie Menz
Representative Kenton Patzkowsky
Representative Lonnie Sims
Other legislators attending the study were Rep. Nicole Miller, Chair, House A&B Transportation Subcommittee; and Vice-Chair of that committee, Preston Stinston. Also, Rep. Senator Haste, Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee and General Government and Transportation Committee.
Click here to review the meeting notice.
Jimmy Sparks, via LinkedIn
Support STEM Education
From Oklahoma’s Red River Valley Regions to the Gypsum Hills; the High Plains to the Ouachita Mountains, and everywhere in between, Oklahoma students in all 77 counties of the state are struggling like never before to overcome the vicissitudes of life. Brilliant, but burdened, math students may not really believe they can become engineers or scientists, so we will believe for them.d adventures for Oklahoma students through our flagship programs, MATHCOUNTS Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Engineering Fair.
This is the legacy of the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation. In 1975, 12 engineers believed in the future of engineering education in Oklahoma. Together, they founded the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation and endowed an engineering scholarship for college students pursuing degrees in engineering. Today, that endowment has grown to nearly $220,000. Moreover, for decades, OEF has organized science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning experiences and adventures for Oklahoma students through our flagship programs, MATHCOUNTS Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Engineering Fair.
This year, we invite you to participate in our annual campaign, BELIEVE FOR ME. Thank you in advance for your tax-deductible donation.
Apply Today! Oklahoma College Engineering Scholarship
The Oklahoma Engineering Foundation encourages college juniors and seniors earning degress in engineering programs in one of seven Oklahoma college / university engineering programs to apply for the Oklahoma College Engineering Scholarship. The annual deadline is December 31.