Promoting STEM education through local school-industry collaboration: An example of mutual benefits

While many STEM-related efforts focus on implementing new curricula in schools, or promoting interaction among STEM educators from different schools, we describe in this paper another method of promoting STEM education: developing local school-industry relationships. In this particular example, a company working on a government-sponsored robotics project worked closely with a neighboring middle school to both accomplish project goals and promote STEM interest in students. The initial collaboration served as “an initiative that spurred initiatives”, and the resulting outcome provided benefits for both the school and the company alike. The school benefitted from exposing students to scientists and engineers working on real-world applications, and from receiving resources from the company to enhance their existing curriculum. The company benefitted from the rewarding work experience that the collaboration offered for its scientists and engineers, and, subsequently, organized a formal STEM committee to pursue similar collaborative opportunities more broadly.