Stem Study Abroad: Preparing Students To Face Global Challenges
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) identifies 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are a blueprint for a more sustainable, equitable, safe, and prosperous global society by 2030. Global challenges include climate change, sustainability, pandemics, food security, equitable resource access, improved human health, biodiversity loss, and better standard of living. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) provide vital insights into key physical, chemical, biological, technological, psychological, and social interconnections to help us face these global challenges, yet international exposure and intercultural skills are rarely part of a U.S. undergraduate STEM curriculum. Through a mix of short presentations and a series of related activities with participants, we present a case for the importance of STEM study abroad in preparing U.S. undergraduates to tackle challenges compromising global development goals, stability, and harmony.
Chair
Alan Masters, CIEE
Presenters
- Lisa Son, Barnard College
- Kyung Hwang Sue, Green Climate Fund