STEAM

Why do you have to select either a STEM or ART major? Pursue a Bachelor of Science or Arts degree? Can’t you be both? Let’s get one thing clear; Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and ART, or “STEAM,” is and will be essential in strengthening existing education and preparing us students for the future. Whether you want to be an artist, architect, engineer, or doctor, STEAM will benefit and complement your career more than you can imagine now.

My purpose throughout this blog is to share my experiences with you about everything I’m going through in my STEM and ART learning journey. I hope to motivate you to learn like I do and share my new knowledge with you in a pleasant and simple way.

Alara Bozkurt, 2023

Technology is driving transformation and innovation in industries such as healthcare, retail and finance. Not only is it taking over repetitive tasks through automation, but it is becoming more human-like than ever. Gartner predicts 80 percent of project management tasks (e.g., data collection, tracking and reporting) will be the job of AI by 2030.

However, there remain certain soft skills a computer simply cannot replicate in the workplace: teamwork, cooperation, creativity and adaptation to change, to name a few. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that the prevalence of automation has created a growing demand for workers with social skills. Having a strong set of soft skills helps employees become more versatile and can open up more opportunities for growth in today’s job market.

This demand for soft skills has led to the creation of new curricula to help prepare those aspiring to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to meet the evolving needs of today’s workforce. The roles within STEM fields have changed and are calling for more well-rounded professionals with backgrounds and skills tied not only to technical studies but also to the arts.

“Proficiency in the arts will be particularly important to engineers and computer scientists in emerging industries, such as themed experiences, gaming, and simulation and training,” explains Ali P. Gordon, Ph.D., an associate professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida. “Programmers and engineers are increasingly teamed up with artists to co-develop software, products, renderings and more.”

As a result, education professionals have developed the acronym STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), leading many to assess STEM vs. STEAM, their merits, and their application in the professional sphere.