It's for—
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8th to 12th grade students who can have great futures in engineering and science careers,
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universities who will educate these students to prepare for those futures,
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corporations, foundations, and other institutions who understand that Michigan's youth are our most important resource, and
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the future of Michigan, the nation, and the global marketplace.
It Features—
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an incredible high-tech, fun, multimedia presentation;
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exhibits by the states great universities, corporations, businesses, and organizations;
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helping our youth succeed.
- Reaching Youth—
PDF of
Michigan YES! eXpo brochure
A challenge
The Michigan YES! Expo 2005 takes place at a pivotal time in attracting Michigan youth to science and engineering education.
According to American Scientist, “between 1975 and 1999, the US slipped from third to fourteenth place in the proportion of twenty-four-year-olds holding science and engineering degrees.”
Furthermore, “between 1985 and 2000, the number of baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math fell by 18.6 percent.”
As a result, “there are not going to be enough skilled practitioners, scientists, and educators to fill the growing number of occupations in science and engineering.”
Besides these trends, minorities and women are also vastly underrepresented in all areas of engineering and science.
An opportunity
The Michigan YES! Expo 2005 will tackle this problem head-on by promoting and encouraging students in grades eight through twelve to choose exciting and rewarding careers in engineering and science. Increasing the number of engineers and scientists is extremely important to the future of Michigan’s industry and economy—technical literacy promotes economic advancement.
In a hands-on setting, corporate exhibitors will expose students to exciting science and engineering careers.
For their part, universities will showcase the educational pathways to these careers and demonstrate to students what they will be doing in college as they study science and engineering.
Additional technology-based displays and exhibits will excite and interest youth to consider careers in science and engineering.
Education focus
The Michigan YES! Expo 2005 aligns with curriculum standards and supports:
Career and employability skills
Career planning
Understanding systems and using technology
Technology content
Evaluating and forecasting
Science standards
Constructing new scientific knowledge
Reflecting on scientific knowledge
Career pathways
No Child Left Behind/Adequate Yearly Progress