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What do the aerospace, semiconductor, and audio equipment industries have in common? They’re all part of the advanced industries sector, which the Brookings Institution defines as 50 industries characterized by their “deep involvement” with STEM.

A new survey from Glassdoor finds that 46 percent of respondents are planning to look for a new job in 2016. And if they use the employer data site’s new list of the 25 Best Jobs in America as a guide, they’ll probably be looking in the tech industry.

In his final State of the Union address, President Barack Obama pushed for an emphasis on "offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one."

Obama pushing for stronger Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students during his State of the Union address isn't new. 

Obama keeps calling for better STEM students, so how's America doing?

TEAMS FROM 30 HIGH SCHOOLS HONED ENGINEERING SKILLS, CREATIVITY

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 16, 2015 – Hempfield Area High School took top honors in Carnegie Science Center’s Chain Reaction Contraption Contest on Friday, Dec. 11, with its “Humpty Dumpty”-themed contraption. Thirty-five teams from 30 area high schools participated in the engineering competition, which this year challenged teams to “Tell a Story.” 

SpaceX just did something amazing.

After helping to launch 11 communications satellites to orbit the spaceflight company managed to bring back the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket to Earth, landing it on a pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida as people in mission control and around the world looked on, cheering.

"The Falcon has landed," an announcer on the SpaceX webcast said.

Since the 1970s, Department of Mechanical Engineering course 2.007 has introduced undergraduate students to hands-on designing and building.

These gifts could help kids fall in love with science and math.

One afternoon in 2012, Matt Stewart was in the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh watching kids play with puzzle pieces. The pieces were part of an exhibit Stewart helped design to teach the building blocks of coding to children as young as four. He soon noticed one young girl taking charge with some puzzle pieces, and showing her classmates how to use them to solve problems.

While parents and teachers alike will be busy with holiday activities throughout the month of December, they should mark their calendars from December 7-13th for Computer Science Education Week.

2016 Category Descriptions

The Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Award recognizes accomplishments in the areas of manufacturing and materials processes which have led to significant business, economic, or societal benefits for the region.

Leaders of 27 Networks Nationwide Exchange Strategies for Building Equitable, Real-World STEM Learning Opportunities for Students 

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 12, 2015 – Representatives from Carnegie Science Center and the Remake Learning Council were among those who gathered in Washington, D.C., this week representing the newly formed Pittsburgh Regional STEM Ecosystem.

Every parent dreams of their children turning into adults with successful careers they love. But how can you tell if your kid has a bright future in one of the fastest-growing industries in the world?

Starting in December, you can apply to become a NASA astronaut. Starting Dec. 14, the space agency will accept applications for the next class of astronaut candidates — some of whom may be involved in a future Mars mission.

See also: NASA names first commercial crew astronauts, signaling new era of spaceflight

“I’m worried about my company becoming too dude-ish,” the founder said. “How do I hire more women engineers?” I gladly took that call. A leader’s job is to build the team with as few blind spots as possible (“diverse by construction”), then guide them to their potential.

The founder who called me worries that in the competitive war for talent his startup might be ignoring, or worse yet, repelling a meaningful set of candidates.

Your feedback is appreciated!

Dear Pittsburgh Regional STEM Education Advocate and Supporter,

Sixth-grade students at Lighthouse Community Charter in Oakland, California, eagerly pull laptops off a cart and settle down with a partner to experiment with Turtle Art, a program meant to introduce them to the basics of programming and some math concepts.

This massive Japanese vegetable factory saves water and energy—along with human labor.

When a sprawling new "vegetable factory" opens near Kyoto, Japan in 2017, it will be the first farm with no farmers. Robots will plant lettuce seeds, transplant them, raise the vegetables, and automatically carry the fully-grown lettuce heads to a packing line, where they can get ready to be sent to local grocery stores.

COHORT OF SCHOOLS TO BENEFIT FROM WORKSHOPS, PROGRAMMING

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 29, 2015 ― Carnegie Science Center is pleased to announce the 10 Allegheny County school districts selected as the 2015-16 cohort for the Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway.

Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway Recognized for “Leading Edge Business Practice” by Association of Science-Technology Centers

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 23, 2015 – Carnegie Science Center has won the 2015 Roy L.

Pittsburgh, Sept. 18, 2015 – Carnegie Science Center is now accepting registrations for middle-school teams to compete in the 2015-16 Future City® Competition, a program of DiscoverE. Future City is a national, project-based learning experience challenging students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade to imagine, design, and build cities of the future.