STEM Is For Carpenters Too

NO!

"When we think of STEM education" We think of training climbing plants...

for pities sake...

EXPLAIN YOUR ACRONYMS

IT'S FUNDAMENTAL JOURNALISTIC GOOD PRACTICE!

GO AND SIT ON THE NAUGHTY STEP AND DON'T DO IT AGAIN...

"STEM" ? my arse

Del

Del, STEM is pretty well known in the USA... it's a phrase seen in the news more or less daily. It's kind of become a word of its own and I'm guessing our blogger didn't give it a second thought.

Stands for education in:

• Science
• Technology
• Engineering
• Math

I see it spelled out in the first line now...Oppologies all round... the perils of skim reading.

Or maybe I read from the bottom up...

I dunno, I'm just an ass sometimes.
I'll go hide in my secretest cat nest
Del (baaaaad kitty)
Kris made me do it

I added the spelled-out version after you pointed out that not everyone understands STEM. That was your good deed for the day . And no, your eyes aren't going.

LOL....

You tease! I'll set Kris onto you!

Del

Of course carpenters use some STEM knowledge and skills but, they also have to pass tests to get a builders license so they can be insured for their work. The test makes sure they are aware of the basics to build a good safe structure and then the building inspector checks their work to make sure they applied all the rules of the local building code.

But when we speak of STEM subject areas it is usually inferred that these are 'higher' end classes that lead to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Not really building a deck or re-shingling a house roof.

Massey -- that's exactly the point I wanted to get across. The group of young people for whom we presented this program are bright and motivated. Will they all go on to earn 4-year degrees? Probably not, but there's a very good chance they'll land in one of Hudson Valley's excellent two-year programs, like Electrical Engineering Technology or Construction Technology. And they'll need a solid foundation in math and science to succeed in any of these programs.

Agreed, but they probably do not need to take Calc I, II, III, IV and Differential Equations which is what the E & M represent in STEM.

I understand what you are saying, and carpenters pick up a lot just from on the job experience. They do far more than shingle a roof or build decks. What about framing a house, especially a custom home, where you might have different pitched roofs everywhere. How big of a laminated beam depending on the expanse it has to stretch across. Then there is the little variable as to the owner making changes. They don't go to the draftsman, they go to the on side supervisor and say they want a door here now, or that window moved or they want that wall moved to make this one room a bit bigger. If the supervisor disagrees with the change because of structural compromise, then he should be able to give a good scientific answer as to why it won't work, or be able to make adjustments to make it work. Usually just rule of thumb knowledge is enough. But changes like making a roof a 12x12 pitch when it was originally called out to be 3x4 pitch, and wanting to make that added space in the attic a room, changes some dynamics and also increases costs.