STEAM Should Power the SDGs
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Monday, 30 May – 15:15 – 16:45
Expanding opportunities for scientific training is an essential component of economic development for all nations. Science, technology, engineering, art, and math, or “STEAM,” is an interdisciplinary learning model that offers new opportunities for creating sustainable models of production and consumption, public health, urban design and infrastructure, water distribution, and food and energy production. Despite these multiple benefits, STEAM faces critical, interlinked financing and access gaps. Science, technology, engineering and math are stubbornly difficult to access for many in developed countries, and in particular for girls. The technology gap, and financing for it, grows exponentially in developing countries and is particularly acute for marginalized groups. Art and design in their purest form also suffer from a lack of investment, leaving questions about the value governments and communities put on creative thinking as a driver for innovation and problem solving.
This roundtable will explore practical investment, policy and advocacy strategies to expand access to science, technology, engineering, art and math education that “leaves no one behind” and proactively reaches out to girls and women. Best-practice examples of STEAM education and information provided to socially and culturally vulnerable people including girls, women and minorities will be presented, highlighting how innovation can help confront the most pressing current research challenges facing the SDGs. Examples of how art and design can be deployed to spark innovation in scientific and engineering contexts will also be offered.
Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) that offer major new opportunities for the delivery of innovative STEAM curricula to schools and educational centers around the world, rich and poor, will be discussed.
Moderator
Dr. Eunhee Jung
Executive Director (CEO), International Virtual Schooling (IVECA)
Confirmed Speakers
H.E. Ambassador Joon Oh
Permanent Representative, Republic of Korea to the UN
Mr. Virgilio Andrade Martinez
Minister of Public Administration, Mexico
Dr. Monika G MacDevette
Deputy Director, Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Ms. Saphira Rameshfar
NGO Representative to the United Nations of the Baha’i International Community
Dr. Seunghwan Kim
President, Korea Foundation for Advancement of Science and Creativity (COFAC)
Ms. Ann Woo
Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Samsung Electronics North America
Mr. Jonathan Wong
Regional Advisor on Science, Technology and Innovation, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)