STEM education can make you a(n).........BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER!

Job Title - Biomedical Engineering, is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g. diagnostic or therapeutic). This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine, combining the design and problem-solving skills of engineering with medical biological sciences to advance health care treatment, including diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy.

Biomedical engineering has long been a driver of advances in healthcare. From new technologies to diagnose and treat some of the most complex diseases to advances that improve quality of life for everyone, the work taking place in labs around the world right now is likely to change the face of healthcare in both the short- and long-term future.

Biomedical engineers differ from other engineering disciplines that have an influence on human health in that biomedical engineers use and apply an intimate knowledge of modern biological principles in their engineering design process. Aspects of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science and engineering are all integrated with human biology in biomedical engineering to improve human health, whether it be an advanced prosthetic limb or a breakthrough in identifying proteins within cells.

Potential Employers - Hospitals, Drug makers, Device makers, Government, Software Companies, Laboratories.

Education - Bachelors/Masters/PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering and a state license

Salary - $65,000 - $134,500

Future - Medical diagnostics triple in market value each year. Revolutionary advances in medical imaging and medical diagnostics are changing the way medicine is practiced. The future of biomedical engineering is tied to both the issues and obstacles we discover and advances and achievements in fields like chemistry, materials science, and biology. These future advancements require a strong background in STEM to be successful.

What is Biomedical Engineering?

Victoria - Biomedical Engineer - Women in STEM

TedxStanford - Neural Prosthetics

In 2012 there were about 19,400 Biomedical Engineers employed in the US. The field is expected to grow by 27% from 2012 to 2022. Biomedical engineering has the highest percentage of women engineers compared to other common engineering professions.

STEM education can make you a(n).........FUEL CELL ENGINEER!

Job Title - Fuel Cell Engineer,  designs, evaluates, modifies, or constructs fuel cell components or systems for transportation, stationary, or portable applications. Fuel cell is a source of energy that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. It uses hydrogen and an oxidant to create electrical energy using electrochemical process. 

Fuel Cell Engineers typically do the following:

Conduct fuel cell testing projects, using fuel cell test stations, analytical instruments, or electrochemical diagnostics, such as cyclic voltammetry or impedance spectroscopy. Design or implement fuel cell testing or development programs. Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. Plan or implement fuel cell cost reduction or product improvement projects in collaboration with other engineers, suppliers, support personnel, or customers. Validate design of fuel cells, fuel cell components, or fuel cell systems.

Potential Employers - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, Manufacturing, Utilities, and more.

Education - Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Salary - $50,000 - $120,000/year

Future - The overall job outlook for Fuel Cell Engineers has been positive since 2004. Vacancies for this career have increased by 8.01 percent nationwide in that time, with an average growth of 1.34 percent per year. Demand for Fuel Cell Engineers is expected to go up, with an expected 18,700 new jobs filled by this year. This represents an annual increase of 1.00 percent over the next few years. 

Fuel cell is a clean source of energy. After the electrochemical process that creates electricity, the by-product from a fuel cell is water. Hydrogen is high in energy, yet an engine that burns pure hydrogen produces almost no pollution. NASA has used liquid hydrogen since the 1970s to propel the space shuttle and other rockets into orbit. Hydrogen fuel cells power the shuttle's electrical systems, producing a clean byproduct - pure water, which the crew drinks.

As humans explore options for sustainable energy sources, Fuel Cell is considered a strong contender among the other renewable sources of energy. 

Fuel Cell Technician

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

** Source - Onet Online

STEM education can make you a(n).........ASTRONAUT!

Job Title - Astronaut, a person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere; A person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. The term "Astronaut" derives from Greek words meaning "space sailor". To become an Astronaut takes many years of education and experience to meet the basic qualifications. Many people aren't accepted on the first try, either, requiring them to learn more to be better prepared for the next try. Even then, only a small percentage of applicants become Astronaut candidates, making it a hard job to get.

The first step to being an Astronaut is getting relevant experience in school. There are two main classes of astronaut applicants: military applicants and civilian applicants. Military application procedures vary depending on the branch of the U.S. armed forces you are working for, since you apply through your respective branch. Civilians apply to NASA directly.

No matter the background, NASA wants its astronauts to have at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Many Astronauts have a master's degree or even a Ph.D. in their field. 

Office - Outer space missions, on-earth training center

Potential Employers - Space Agencies such as NASA

Education - Degree in Engineering, Biological Science, Physical Science, Computer science or Mathematics. Soft-skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communications

Salary - $65,000 - $141,000 per year

Future - Mission to Mars, Mission to International Space Station, Mission on the future Orion-Multipurpose Crew Vehicle to asteroids, Moon, and Mars. With the new commercial players such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, the Space industry is bound to innovate and grow leaps and bounds. The growth in Space industry will create more jobs that can only be filled by people who have a background in STEM. 

Many of the NASA's new hires have a shared trait - Interest in STEM

Women In STEM

SpaceX co-founder Tom Mueller owes career in rocket science to a strong foundation in STEM fields.

NASA Astronaut talks about the importance of STEM

Humanity's interest in the heavens has been universal and enduring. Humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and then push further. The intangible desire to explore and challenge the boundaries of what we know and where we have been has provided benefits to our society for centuries.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain. 

We often limit kids to learning one or two aspects of STEM like "Robotics" or "Computer Programming", however, to be successful the kids need to have a more comprehensive understanding of all aspects of STEM, like Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Sustainable Engineering and more.

Even if you are someone who writes code for your job, you need to understand how mechanical things work. We are looking for people that had been building things since they were little. - Dolly Singh, Former Head of Talent Acquisition at SpaceX

So, let's work together and give the kids this very important, and comprehensive STEM foundation to build the future full of opportunities and exploration.