Academic Transformation
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EXCELLENCE IN STEM
itt-Johnstown is responding to the urgent challenge faced by Pennsylvania and the nation for qualified candidates in the areas of science, technology, engiince its creation in 2008, more neering, and maththan 1,000 high school stuematics (STEM). dents from our region have The Bureau of Laparticipated in the annual bor Statistics estiSTEM Professions Day, an event mates that the na- Becky Piscitella, ‘99 Pitt-Johnstown alumnus and recipient of a 2010 created to advance the knowledge tional demand for Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (the of STEM areas and promote interscientists and engi- highest recognition that a K-12 mathematics or science teacher can receive in est in STEM-related careers. neers will increase the US) encouraged students to be passionate about their careers in STEM at our fourth annual STEM Professions Day. by more than 20 Sessions are led by members of the percent by 2020.1 Pitt-Johnstown faculty, including By 2020 Pennsylvania will need to fill Recently, Pitt-Johnstown partnered David Willey, Dr. Jim Bilitski, Amy nearly 395,000 STEM-related jobs.2 with Windber Research Institute to fosMiller, Frank Smigla, and Joseph ter faculty-scientist-student research Wilson. For the past two years, Strategic efforts to increase STEM en- collaboration that, among other things, STEM scholarships have been rollment at Pitt-Johnstown have been will provide students with RealWorld awarded at the event to students very successful. In fact, enrollment in experience in STEM areas. See page 31. ▬ who plan to enroll in STEM majors STEM majors at Pitt-Johnstown is inat Pitt-Johnstown. creasing faster than the national average. While approximately 35 percent of college students nationwide were enrolled in STEM majors in 2010, nearly 50 percent of Pitt-Johnstown students ongratulations to the were pursuing STEM-related degrees. members of the PittToday, that number has grown to 55 Johnstown Concrete percent at Pitt-Johnstown. Overall, Canoe Team led by enrollment in STEM majors at Pitt- Brian Houston, associate proJohnstown has increased by 20.6 per- fessor of civil engineering techcent since 2007. Specifically, engineer- nology! For the sixth time in ing technology and natural sciences seven years, members of the have seen a 10 percent and 13 percent Pitt-Johnstown chapter of the growth in enrollment, respectively. American Society of Civil Engineers advanced to the National Concrete Canoe Competition Footnotes: (NCCC). This year’s competiThe 2012-2013 concrete canoe team comprised of students 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of tion was held in June at the whom Professor Houston mentors. Labor, “Employment and wages of major occuUniversity of Illinois at Urbanapational groups, 2006, 2010, and projected 2020,” Monthly Labor Review, 135, no. 1 (Jan. 2012): 89, Champaign, where the Pitt-Johnstown team placed ninth out of 23 institutions that <http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/01/art5full. included stalwarts like Clemson University and the University of Washington. pdf> (25 June 2013).
PARTNERSHIPS FOSTERING STEM IN THE COMMUNITY
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CONCRETE CANOE TEAM COMPETES NATIONALLY
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2. Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, “Occupational Employment & Future Employment Outlook,” 2013, <http://paworkstats.geosolinc.com> (25 June 2013).
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The NCCC provides students with a practical application of engineering principles learned in the classroom and helps students to develop important team and project management skills, which they will need for their careers in the RealWorld. ▬