The Noyce Foundation is interested in significantly increasing the number of youth in the United States who pursue professions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is a national imperative to impel ongoing innovation, solve major national and international environmental issues, enhance economic competitiveness, and address other issues. Another prominent interest is in lifting the STEM knowledge of the general population so that we all become more thoughtful participants in an increasingly complex democratic process and global economic system, and more responsible consumers and stewards of resources.
Influencing the STEM pipeline requires engagement in and outside of K-12 settings. Recent research published in Science magazine suggests that kids make choices about career direction as early as their middle school grades. Many decide early on against pursuing a rigorous course of study that would lead to science, technology, and engineering majors in college and professions after they graduate from universities.
The Noyce Foundation believes that providing large numbers of young people with out-of-school, engaging, quality, hands-on science, engineering, and technology experiences will encourage more kids to pursue STEM careers and enhance general STEM knowledge. Some researchers have found that STEM engagement is a critical pillar in the triad of engagement, capacity, and continuity that are required to support a young person on the path to a STEM career. The spark has to come from somewhere, and most often that is kindled in out-of-school STEM experiences.
The nation is in a period of research and development about what works in informal science. The Noyce Foundation’s goal is to help the informal science community develop the field by supporting efforts to address the gaps that exist in agenda setting and coordination, outcomes measurement, program scale up, leadership development, and pathway or pipeline design.
Major science grants include:
Association of Science-Technology Centers. Support for exploratory work for a science center leadership development program including a survey of all U.S. science center and museum members of ASTC, and a summary report on results.
National 4-H Council. Support for the Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative in its start-up phase as well as to support professional and curriculum development and program implementation.
National Public Radio. Support for “Science Friday” programming.
New York Hall of Science. Support for the Science Career Ladder program, which strengthens communication skills and broadens science learning for under-served elementary, middle, high school, and college students while offering leadership and employment opportunities.
Program in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency. Support for informal science programs across the U.S. which research and create evaluative tools and instruments that help enhance the delivery of quality programming, develop youth interest in science and STEM careers, and build organizational capacity and effectiveness.