U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference 2014 (Update: Photo Gallery / Dr. Barbara Bolin Round Table Discussions)

U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference 2014 (Update: Dr. Barbara Bolin / Roundtable Discussion on Workforce Development)

Detroit Shows High-Tech Promise (Update: More STEM Jobs than Silicon Valley / Automation Alley Report)

Detroit shows high-tech promise: More STEM grads, jobs than in Silicon Valley, Automation Alley report says

By Tom Henderson

The 2013 Technology Industry Report that Automation Alley, the Troy-based economic development organization, released today shows the Detroit region has made progress when benchmarked against 14 other high-tech hubs in the U.S.

According to the report:

• Tech industry employment in metro Detroit is up 15 percent from the previous year’s study, while Silicon Valley shows a 4 percent drop.

• Metro Detroit’s technology sector added more than 30,000 jobs, while Silicon Valley’s technology sector lost 10,000.

• Schools in metro Detroit graduated more students in the areas of engineering and engineering technology than any other region in the study, with more science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and computer-science graduates than Silicon Valley.

• The region went from 22,093 jobs in life sciences in 2010 to 42,451 in 2011. The report didn’t explain the reasons for such an increase.

• Michigan leads the U.S. in advanced automotive, with a concentration of employment in metro Detroit that is 6.5 times the national average. The area had 64,545 jobs in this sector in 2011, 9.7 percent of such jobs in the United States, up from 8.8 percent of such jobs in 2010.

• The Detroit region was issued 2,817 utility patents in 2011, which was fifth nationally. Silicon Valley got 10,256.

• In 2011, there were 242,520 tech-related jobs in the region, about 14.4 percent of the 1.68 million jobs here. In the U.S. as a whole, 9.1 percent of jobs are tech-related.

• Detroit had the highest concentration of tech jobs in the Midwest and was second nationally to Silicon Valley.

The Detroit region, as defined by Automation Alley, includes the counties of Genesee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. It had a 2012 population of more than 4.6 million, which ranked it fourth of the 14 hubs, behind Chicago (9.5 million), Dallas-Fort Worth (7.6 million), Atlanta (5.5 million) and Boston (4.6 million).

The other hubs were centered on Pittsburgh; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Indianapolis; Grand Rapids; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Austin, Texas; Seattle; and the Silicon Valley region of San Jose-Santa Clara.

The report was compiled by the Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group LLC.

While it is the 2013 report, it is actually based on data that is older, including U.S. Census Bureau data from 2011, data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2012 and education data compiled by theNational Center for Education Statistics in the 2011-12 school year.

Results of the report will be discussed at a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Detroit Marriott in Troy.

National Academies Press (Update: COSMOS A SPACETIME ODYSSEY PREMIERE)

Dear Esteemed Space Enthusiasts and Cosmo-Nuts, Tomorrow night marks the premiere of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. As you know, this new series re-envisions Carl Sagan's groundbreaking 1980 series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. Here at the National Academies, the Cosmos premiere fills our starstruck hearts with pride because: If you haven't noticed, we've published a thing or two about space, including books by Dr. Sagan and Dr. Tyson; Executive producer Seth MacFarlane first met Dr. Tyson through the Science & Entertainment Exchange, a project of the National Academy of Sciences; and "[T]he brain is like a muscle. When we think well, we feel good. Understanding is a kind of ecstasy." - Carl Sagan Watch Cosmos with us on Sunday, March 9 at 9:00 PM Eastern and let us know what you think. Looking for something to do before the show? Need some captivating reading on astrophysics and space exploration afterwards? We've put together the Cosmos collection just for you. Keeping Looking Up, Your Friends at NAP

U.S. House Republican Leaders Recognize National School Choice Week (January 26-February 1, 2014)

Congressman John Kline, Chairman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 27, 2014 CONTACT: Press Office (202) 226-9440 Republican Leaders Recognize National School Choice Week WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statements in recognition of National School Choice Week (January 26-Feb 1): Speaker Boehner: When parents are empowered to select the best schools, students have a better shot at an education that will help them succeed and pursue their dreams. The Student Success Act, passed by the House last year, provides these opportunities. This week, as we celebrate school choice and the people who work to advance this idea year-round, I urge the Senate to pass this measure as an important step in strengthening our economy and making life work for more Americans. Majority Leader Cantor: As we celebrate National School Choice Week, we come together as parents, teachers, and advocates to improve education. Still too many students are forced to attend schools that don’t address their needs, or worse, aren’t safe. Meeting with parents and students in my home state of Virginia and across the country, I have seen firsthand the positive impact that school choice has on so many families. At a time when the school choice movement faces threats from proponents of the status quo, fighting for education opportunity is more important than ever. Over six months ago, the House acted and passed the Student Success Act to provide parents with more choice so their children have access to good schools and a quality education. It’s past time for the Senate to join us in supporting education choice so all children have the chance to succeed. Chairman Kline: The power of school choice cannot be overstated. Charter schools, magnet schools, and scholarship programs have provided thousands of families new hope and opportunity, helping put countless children on the path to a brighter future. More parents deserve the chance to choose the school that best meets their child’s needs, and that’s why House Republicans advanced the Student Success Act. This monumental legislation will strengthen our K-12 education system, expand public school choice, and support the growth of high-quality charter and magnet schools. However, H.R. 5 has been awaiting Senate consideration for more than six months, leaving millions of kids trapped in underperforming schools. Our children deserve better. As we come together to recognize National School Choice Week, I once again call on the Senate to bring the Student Success Act up for a vote and help us craft a final proposal for the president’s signature.   # # #

Governor Snyder Declares February 2014 Cooperative Education and Internship Month (Update: Michigan Career Educator & Employer Alliance)

Barbara,

The Michigan Career Educator & Employer Alliance (MCEEA) www.mceea.org is pleased to announce that Governor Rick Snyder has declared February 2014 as Cooperative Education and Internship Month.

Cooperative Education and Internship Month2014.pdf

Please use this wonderful opportunity to promote cooperative education and internships on your campus, at your workplace, and with colleagues who may not be familiar with the benefits of cooperative education and internships. 

Here are some ways to promote Cooperative Education and Internship Month at your institution:

• Share the Governor's Proclamation with your students, employers, faculty, administrators and staff 
• Utilize communication methods (including email, website, and social media) to promote Cooperative Education and Internship Month
• Host a lunch for your cooperative education and internship students
• Host an employer recognition event

Take care and as always, please let me know if you have any questions. 

Brian J. Partie, Jr. 

President, Michigan Career Educator and Employer Alliance (MCEEA)
Associate Director, Career Services, Oakland University

Governor Snyder's response to American Competitiveness & Innovation Challenge (Update: Import it!)

Immigrants Seen as Way to Refill Detroit Ranks

By MONICA DAVEYJAN. 23, 2014

Launch media viewer

Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan said he was seeking federal approval of 50,000 work visas solely for new residents of Detroit over five years. Paul Sancya/Associated Press

For Detroit, a city that has watched a population in free fall, officials have a new antidote: immigrants.

Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan on Thursday announced plans to seek federal help in bringing 50,000 immigrants to the bankrupt city over five years as part of a visa program aimed at those with advanced degrees or exceptional abilities in science, business or the arts.

Under the plan, which is expected to be formally submitted to federal authorities soon, immigrants would be required to live and work in Detroit, a city that has fallen to 700,000 residents from 1.8 million in the 1950s.

“Isn’t that how we made our country great, through immigrants?” said Mr. Snyder, a Republican, who last year authorized the state’s largest city to seek bankruptcy protection and recently announced plans to open a state office focused on new Americans.

Later, he added, “Think about the power and the size of this program, what it could do to bring back Detroit, even faster and better.”

The fate of Mr. Snyder’s particular plan — unusual, officials say, for the way it envisions allotting such visas to a specific city — remains uncertain because federal authorities have yet to receive a formal request. The proposal comes as part of a push in Midwestern cities — including Chicago, St. Louis and Dayton, Ohio — to jump-start growth by attracting entrepreneurial immigrants.

“This is one way you grow the economy,” said Richard Herman, a lawyer in Cleveland who advises cities on such matters and who praised Mr. Snyder’s notion. “The Rust Belt has needed this for decades.”

Mike Duggan, the new mayor of Detroit, who has said he wanted to see an increase in the population within five years, said he backed the idea, as did an array of city leaders who attended the governor’s announcement.

“What seemed like a politically impossible thing in Detroit has changed dramatically,” Mr. Duggan said. “The leadership of this community is united in saying we are going to take full advantage of the governor’s initiative and we are going to make sure everybody understands that Detroit has been historically and is today truly open to the world.”

Still the politics may yet be complicated in Detroit, a mostly black city where 38 percent of people live below the poverty level. “There will be some whose vantage point is going to be: ‘O.K., but what are you going to do to help the people who are already there?’ ” said Eric Foster, a political consultant in Detroit.

The Rev. Charles Williams II of the civil rights group National Action Network said he believed Detroit, as well as other Midwestern states, should be pro-immigration. “However,” he said, “I will say, on the other end of this, I think it’s a little ambitious for Governor Snyder to put together a plan to induce more population when still we have to work on double-digit unemployment and high poverty that’s already in our city right now.”

But advocates of bringing an influx of immigrants into the city say the outcome will ultimately benefit longtime residents, too, bringing new business enterprises and jobs, as well as a more stable tax base. “They’re going to have jobs as part of this process but the part you should focus in on, in particular, are all the jobs they’re going to create for Detroiters, for Michiganders,” Mr. Snyder said.

Under Mr. Snyder’s proposal, 5,000 immigrants would be granted visas in the first year to live and work in Detroit, under a program known as EB-2, in which federal authorities are permitted to grant a maximum of 40,040 such visas nationwide each year. Over the following four years, the number of visas for Detroit-based immigrants with advanced degrees or exceptional ability would go up, ending with 15,000 in the fifth year.

Mr. Snyder said demand already exists for experts in fields like engineering, technology and health care. And he noted that Michigan colleges and universities are home to tens of thousands of international students — many of whom, he said, ought not depart after graduation.

Representatives for Mr. Snyder said the governor had already had high-level discussions with federal officials about the concept but had yet to submit a formal request. Federal authorities said it was too soon to comment on it.

But a White House official issued a statement about the administration’s broad views, which said, in part, “President Obama is committed to honoring our nation’s legacy of innovation and competitiveness by attracting the world’s best and brightest students and entrepreneurs to start the next great companies here in the United States.”

Chrysler Foundation Grants for 2014 FIRST Robotics Programs (Update: Ellen AWESOME Green!)

The Chrysler Foundation Energizes 2014 FIRST Robotics Season with Nearly a Quarter-Million Dollars in Grants

Submitted by Tommy Cornelis on January 3, 2014

Grants will help students to ready robots for run at FIRST Robotics Championship

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chrysler Foundation today announced grants totaling $229,000 to support FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics teams and organizations in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ontario, Canada. The grants will enable more than 1,000 middle and high school students to discover the rewards of science and technology as they compete in the annual international robotics competition.

VIDEO: FIRST Robotics: Killer Bees, Bionic Barons, More Martians and The Chrysler Foundation (2013): http://youtu.be/IppTdkRcoXs.

The Chrysler Foundations' funding announcement coincides with the official start of the 2014 FIRST Robotics' design and build season on Jan. 4. During this phase, teams have the opportunity to meet at local FIRST kickoff events to compare notes, get ideas, make friends, find mentoring teams, learn the design challenge, pick up the official parts kit, and get geared up for the exciting competition season. Last year, FIRST teams were tasked with building robots that were capable of competing in a high-tech version of disc golf.

"The FIRST program provides students with invaluable real world engineering experience," said Mark Chernoby, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Vice President - Product Committee Coordinator — Chrysler Group LLC. "We hope that by engaging students at an early age, we can provide the spark that inspires them to be future innovators and problem-solvers."

Each of the following 41 high schools will receive a $5,000 grant from The Chrysler Foundation:

Arizona

Kingman High School (Kingman)

Illinois

Belvidere, Belvidere North and North Boone High Schools

Indiana

Northwestern High School (Kokomo)

Western High School (Russiaville)

Michigan

Ann Arbor Huron High School

Birmingham Seaholm and Birmingham Groves High Schools

Bishop Foley Catholic High School (Madison Heights)

Bloomfield Hills High School

Capac Community Schools

Cardinal Mooney Catholic (Marine City)

Center Line High School

Chelsea High School

Dundee High School

Genesee Robotics Area Youth Team (Fenton)

Golightly Vocational Academy (Detroit)

Goodrich High School

Grand Blanc High School

Hartland High School

Lake Orion High School

Linden High School

Macomb Academy of Arts and Sciences (Armada)

Notre Dame Preparatory (Auburn Hills)

Oakland Tech Northeast (Pontiac)

OSM Tech Academy at Clarkston High School

Oxford Community Schools

Pontiac High School

Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek High Schools (Rochester Hills)

Romeo Community Schools (Washington)

Skyline High School (Ann Arbor)

Southeastern High School of Technology (Detroit)

Henry Ford II, Stevenson and Utica High Schools   (Sterling Heights)

Walled Lake Schools

Warren Consolidated Schools

Waterford Kettering High School

Ontario, Canada

Assumption College School

Harrow District High School

Holy Names Catholic High School

Maranatha Christian Academy

Sandwich Secondary School

Vincent Massey Secondary School

Walkerville Collegiate Institute

Ultimately, teams sponsored by The Chrysler Foundation that qualify for the FIRST Championship (April 23-26) in St. Louis, MO will receive a share of a $15,000 booster fund that will support the teams during the championship.

"The Chrysler Foundation and Chrysler Group are proud to help students discover the rewards and excitement of education and careers in science, engineering, and technology," said Jody Trapasso, Senior Vice President - External Affairs, Chrysler Group LLC and President - The Chrysler Foundation. "We are equally proud of our employees who generously mentor students and serve as competition coordinators."

The Chrysler Foundation also announced a $7,500 grant to FIRST in Michigan to support district and statewide robotics competitions, and grants of $750 each to support FIRST Tech Challenge teams in Fenton and Linden, Mich. 

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC

President Obama awards Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science to Two Michigan Science Teachers

Math, science teachers from Michigan receive a presidential salute

2will receive $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation

By Lori Higgins Detroit Free Press Education Writer

   Brian Peterson was growing up in Grand Rapids when he was bitten by the science bug.

   “Instead of playing video games, I would be out in the woods flipping logs and up to my knees in the creek — exploring and pulling up plants and trying to catch snakes,” said Peterson, 39. “I loved exploring and doing new things.”

   Peterson, a fifth-grade teacher at Musson Elementary School in Rochester Community Schools and an instructor at Oakland University, is one of two Michigan teachers given top honors recently as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

   The awards were given in each state and in four U.S. jurisdictions. They are the highest honor given by the U.S. government to recognize top math and science teachers.

   Peterson, whose specialty is science, won the science award for Michigan. Emily Theriault-Kimmey, lead teacher at Pattengill Elementary School in Ann Arbor Public Schools, won the math award.

   Both will receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

   “These teachers are inspiring today’s young students to become the next generation of American scientists, mathematicians and innovators,” President Barack Obama said in a news release. “Through their passion and dedication, and by sharing their excitement about science, technology, engineering and math, they are helping us build a promising future for all our children.”

   For Peterson, news of the award hadn’t sunk in by the end of last week.

   “People tell you you won,” he said. “It just doesn’t seem real.”

   But he said he is pleased to see teachers getting recognition because so much of the discussion around education lately has been negative.

   “It means a lot that it’s important enough for the country that we honor teachers,” Peterson said Friday.

   Theriault-Kimmey, in a statement posted on the recognition program’s website, said receiving the award “is an incredible experience,” and that she’s accepting it on behalf of those who have influenced her

   — from other teachers to students to mentors.

   “I will continue to pass on the passion for education that they have instilled in me,” she said.

   Sharing his love for science is important to Peterson. His students are currently studying astronomy; one of them could one day be the first person to step foot on Mars.

   “The greatest thing about science is the hands-on. You get to do activities and experiments and try things. It’s OK to fail once in a while ... because that’s how we learn.”

   Contact Lori Higgins: 313-222-6651or lhiggins@freepress.com  

AWARD WINNERS: Emily Theriault-Kimmey teaches in Ann Arbor Public Schools; Brian Peterson teaches in Rochester Community Schools. PAEMST

DOW Sustainability Education Center (Update: STEM Manufacturing Workforce Collaboration)

Dow Science and Sustainability Education Center in collaboration with SVSU aims to prepare competitive STEM workforce

Jeff Schrier | Mlive.com Andrew Liveris, president, chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical Co., makes a point while speaking at the Saginaw Valley State University Economic Summit 2013, Oct. 25, 2013 at SVSU's Curtiss Hall.

By Heather Jordan | heather_jordan@mlive.com 
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on January 02, 2014 at 7:15 AM, updated January 02, 2014 at 7:19 AM

MIDLAND, MI — Manufacturing in America is at a turning point, and the recently announced Dow Science and Sustainability Education Center in collaboration with Saginaw Valley State University is what the Dow Chemical Co. says it needs to prepare a competitive workforce in a science, technology, engineering and math world.

Dow Chairman, President and CEO Andrew Liveris announced the new centerduring Saginaw Valley State University’s 50th Anniversary Economic Summit on Oct. 25. He said he hopes the STEM center inspires students to make science their life's work. 

“Today’s manufacturing is fast becoming unrecognizable to the generation that I represent,” Liveris told the crowd. “...Today, making things cannot be separated from the work of inventing them and improving them and (being) creative with them and developing a next generation of them.”

He said students at all levels must be re-skilled, creating workers the economy needs.

The Dow Science and Sustainability Education Center will include a research center and a mobile science lab. 

View full sizeJeff Martin

Dow and SVSU officials continue to meet to discuss the details of the program, a portion of which is expected to begin in the spring, said Jeff Martin, community relations leader for Dow. The program is expected to be fully implemented by 2015. 

According to a prepared statement from Martin, the program will provide “an educational experience for students and teachers that provides exposure to modern methods of research, analysis and inspiration for students to study science at the college level.

“The Education Center goes beyond undergraduate research and includes a broad educational outreach, focusing not just on college students, but also on high school students and teachers, through a summer internship program.” 

Why is Dow choosing to make this investment now?

“Manufacturing in America is at a turning point, and to be able to sustain a manufacturing renaissance, we need to prepare a workforce with advance skills in STEM fields that can compete globally," Martin said. "There is a historically strong connection between Saginaw Valley State University and Dow, and we see great value in having the education center located in the region, offering Dow the ability to be directly involved in engaging students, teachers and the community in the fields of STEM.”

J.J. Boehm, director of media and community relations for SVSU, said the university looks forward to this continued partnership with the Midland-based chemical company. 

“SVSU is very grateful for this generous commitment from Dow. STEM education is vitally important to our region, our state and our nation, and through these types of collaborative relationships, we can make our region a leader in these fields," Boehm said in an email. "We look forward to working with Dow to finalize plans to nurture interest in and understanding of the STEM fields among our region's primary, high school and college students.” 

According to Martin, the program will prepare students for STEM careers in a variety of ways, including by preparing future teachers to approach science in the classroom, supporting the ongoing education of teachers and providing them with the tools they need to provide the best science education, creating opportunities for research and data collection, and inspiring students' interest in STEM fields. 

“Dow recognizes that advances in STEM education will drive the economic strength of America and are critical to the nations’ prosperity and security in a global economy," Martin said. 

"Success in improving STEM education, changing youths' perception of these careers and increasing the number of students choosing STEM majors are imperative for the continued prosperity of the U.S. and our manufacturing sector. In addition to the potential impact STEM can have on the U.S. economy, the Great Lakes Bay Region will offer many of these STEM opportunities as the region continues to be a manufacturing hub.”

The broader community will be engaged in the program via the mobile science lab, through which schools and residents will have opportunities to participate in scientific studies of the Saginaw Bay Watershed, Martin said.

— Heather Jordan covers business for MLive/The Saginaw News/The Bay City Times. She can be reached at 989-450-2652 or hjordan@mlive.com. For more business news, follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

EAA (Update)

State reform district could add schools as early as January

It also faces enrollment, board challenges

By Chastity Pratt Dawsey Detroit Free Press Education Writer

   State Superintendent Mike Flanagan announced Tuesday that more failing schools will be placed into Michigan’s reform district in 2014, possibly as early as January.

   The announcement comes as the reform district for the lowest-performing schools — the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan — faces a host of challenges: a 22% enrollment decline, a board member resignation, as well as anti-EAA campaigns led by lawmakers and educators. Also, lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill that could give the EAA powers similar to other school districts but limit the number of schools it can operate to 50.

   Earlier, Flanagan had said that by the end of this year, fewer than 10 additional schools would be placed into the EAA, but he has not given a definitive number.

   A 2009 law allows schools ranked in the lowest 5% — called priority schools — to be placed into a state reform district if they fail to achieve satisfactory results. The EAA was created in 2011 and took control over 15 priority schools in Detroit in 2012. Today, Michigan has 137 priority schools ranked in the lowest 5%.

   Flangan said that although many more schools should be placed in the EAA, “placing schools in this statewide district is an extraordinary step to take, and we want to make sure it’s done right, and every consideration is taken.”

   The state Senate could take up a bill as early as today that says a failing school would become eligible to be placed in the EAA only after being ranked in the lowest 5% of Michigan schools for three consecutive years.

   The bill also would cap the EAA at 50 schools and allow some low-performing schools to be exempt from being transferred to the EAA if the state reform officer and EAA chancellor agree that the students would do better remaining under the control of the local school board .

   State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, suggested that the Senate might consider targeting elementary grade schools to be placed in the EAA.

   “There seems to be some evolving information that the earlier you get involved in a school, the better the chance to turn that school around,” Richardville said.

   The EAA was formed through an interlocal agreement between Detroit Public Schools and Eastern Michigan University. The DPS emergency manager and the EMU Board of Regents are state-appointed. In 2012-13, its first year of operation, the EAA had to use DPS as an intermediary to borrow nearly $12 million to keep afloat financially because it does not have that borrowing authority by law.

   Enrollment in the EAA’s 12 direct-run schools dropped from about 8,300 last year to 6,515, state records show. Enrollment at three schools that the EAA authorized as charter schools dropped from about 1,200 to 1,009. cial officer for the EAA, said the EAA does not expect to borrow money this year or lay off staff. The EAA budgeted conservatively, then got more donations and federal funds than originally budgeted, he said.

   Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, said the declining enrollment in the EAA after just one year of operation is proof that parents do not want it. “EAA has proven to be a complete disaster from the moment they opened their doors. The governor seems fixated on it,” he said.

   A mass of EMU faculty and students showed up at Tuesday’s board meeting to continue to campaign against the EAA. The EAA is not doing a good job teaching students, and EMU is suffering as a result of its involvement with the reform district, they said.

   “Affiliation with the politically motivated, dysfunctionally deployed and pedagogically unsupportable EAA has tarnished our reputation in Michigan and the nation,” EMU education professor Steve Camron told the EMU board.

   EMU board members had no comment but approved appointing EMU Provost Kim Schatzel to replace College of Education Dean Jann Joseph, who stepped down from the EAA board.