October 2013

The AERA Grants Program participated in the Change the World: Science and Engineering Careers Fair, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), in the D.C. area on September 27 and 28.

The event showcased science and innovation, encouraging middle and high school students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The students engaged with chemists, physicists, biologists, mathematicians, engineers, and other scientists to better understand the wide array of STEM careers available to them.

The AERA Grants Program offered information on how students can position themselves educationally for careers in STEM fields, as well as details about the U.S. job market for STEM careers.

More than 50 exhibitors from around the country participated in the event. Along with AERA, the exhibitors included NASA, the National Weather Service, the USA Science & Engineering Festival, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Women in Technology, the American Sociological Association, and the National Institutes of Health.

The AERA Grants Program focuses on STEM education and learning. The program has been supported for over 20 years by NSF through a series of competitively reviewed proposals. At the core of the program is support for doctoral dissertation awards and small grants for emerging scholars addressing significant scientific questions through quantitative analysis of large-scale, federally funded data sets.