Blog

Steve Jobs once said, “A lot of people in our industry haven't had very diverse experiences. So they don't have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one's understanding of the human...

Stress.  The mere word itself can evoke a rapid heartbeat and sweaty palms.  After all, as adults, there are a number of stress-inducing situations we encounter every day.  The idea of stress is pervasive in our society, in media, in self-help books that promise to...

Unlike chemistry or physics, where chemicals and atoms can be manipulated in highly controlled environments, biology must deal with living organisms that come with numerous confounding variables. Scientific rigor in such an environment is impossible unless variables...

Over the past few years, the team at STEMed Labs has had the opportunity to work with many high school students from the Central Texas area and beyond. Across those interactions, a topic that has come up quite frequently is the constant struggle students face with...

There is nothing as practical as a good theory. – Kurt Lewin This blog is inspired by my recent experiences guiding my kindergartener through her first science fair project. My five-year-old has enjoyed reading about electricity and putting together the hybrid lemon...

Frances Arnold, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work in the use of directed evolution to engineer enzymes.  Directed...

August marks the start of a new academic year for most students in Texas. It’s a transition period where they say goodbye to the relaxing days of summer and return to structured schedules of morning commutes and school bells. What is striking is how many...

We all want what is best for our children, our students, ourselves.  We want to be as prepared for the future as possible. However, with the overabundance of information available to us today, how do we decide which learning methodology is best?  More...

We tend to think of STEM as the very essence of modernity. The technology that STEM makes possible has created modern life and is shaping the future. But fundamentally many aspects of STEM, how it defines our understanding of the world and relates to...

Without meaning and direction, how do we decide where to go next to affect the changes we want in life? Here at STEMed Labs, we often speak about a “chasm” which exists between the prototypical educational journey found in the classroom and the experiences...

As we approach the end of April and transition into May, there are various seasonal events we look forward to each year. For many students, May signifies the end of the academic year which includes graduation ceremonies for seniors and the start of summer...

It’s commonly accepted that the assumptions we make about the world around us directly impact the way we approach our daily lives. In this way, an individual’s mindset affects how they perceive their place within society as well as their capacity to...

We often hear the refrain that education should be a discovery driven journey whereby students let their natural curiosity lead them on a natural path of inquiry and learning. The visual associated with this metaphor typically includes a natural sunlit...