National STEM Day: what it means and why it matters

March 4, 2024

Tim Reynolds, Jeff Davis, Mark Muller, Andy Fan, Karla Berdeja, Kyle Tinsmon, Megan Cooper

Design

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Celebrating National STEM Day

In honor of National STEM Day, the architects and designers at Treanor have been thinking about what STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) means to them and how it affects their professional and personal lives. With STEM-related occupations expected to grow 70 percent faster than others, we have an opportunity and responsibility to share our insights and perspectives with young and aspiring professionals. To capture the spirit of STEM, we caught up with a few of our Higher Education staff and asked them to share their experience working in a STEM field.

“When I was in school, that term did not exist. STEM, to me, collects four different elements that are really all part of the same larger thing. There is no engineering without math, there is no technology without engineering, and there is no engineering without math.”
Mark Muller, Project Manager, Treanor

What is STEM? What about STEAM?

The National Science Foundation defines STEM as fields that are collectively considered core technological underpinnings of an advanced society. It takes many disciplines to come together to solve today’s problems, or even do something simple, like listen to music or watch a movie. Everything from the gamification of science to the integration of artificial intelligence is made possible by the STEM field.

In classrooms, we’re seeing the term shift to STEAM, which adds arts and humanities into the mix. The increased understanding that communication is critical to the success of STEM programs has earned it a lasting place in an important acronym that determines career pathways. College facilities such as the Instructional Laboratory and Innovative Learning Building at Texas A&M University have begun integrating art-based studio spaces, providing more student exposure to spaces that inspire creativity and ingenuity.

“When you walk in the front door, you get a sense of how the makerspaces and project spaces and chemistry all fit together within the building. This is a project that’s leading in the integration of the arts into the traditional STEM disciplines.”
Tim Reynolds, Principal, Treanor

Paving the way for future STEAM leadership

STEAM fields are growing faster than most others in the workforce, and the demand for trained professionals continues to increase. Those of us in the STEAM field of architecture are tasked with inspiring and teaching the next generation of talented professionals. What is the origin story of an architect, and what inspires us to apply this STEAM-based profession to the betterment of our world?

To find out, catch up with our Higher Education architects, planners, and designers on this episode.