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"In business and at every level of government, we hear how important it is to graduate more students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math, as our nation's competitiveness depends on it. The Obama administration has set a goal of increasing STEM graduates by one million by 2022, and the "desperate need" for more STEM students makes regular headlines. The emphasis on bolstering STEM participation comes in tandem with bleak news about the liberal arts - bad job prospects, programs being cut, too many humanities majors. As a chemist, I agree that remaining competitive in the sciences is a critical issue. But as an instructor, I also think that if American STEM grads are going lead the world in innovation, then their science education cannot be divorced from the liberal arts."

"There is a lot of talk about the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in education. Schools, governments, and businesses are hoping that today's STEM students can solve tomorrow's global issues. The importance of a quality education has not been lost on me. I've gone from a liberal arts university to some highly-technical professions and back (and forth). This has left me with a well-rounded amount of experience in all the STEM subjects. But there's more to education than getting a STEM job. A lot more. That's why a new term is gaining *ahem* steam. It's called STEAM and it's the idea of incorporating arts into a STEM-based curriculum. In other words, let's help students think more creatively and better understand the problems they're already working to solve"