Harnessing Our Knowledge In STEM

It wasn’t too long ago when we were all chasing the clock, but with the current COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the other way around. With all the time we now have on our hands, and our ability to access information with the click of a button, why not make the most of it and use this time productively to expand our knowledge in STEM and apply it to make a difference?  

To help you effectively use this learning opportunity, here are four steps that I think are essential to the process: learning, applying, sharing, and refining.  

The Power of Learning

Learning shapes you into a more forward-thinking and creative person: it is the lubricant that keeps the wheels in your brain whirring and can spark some of the most authentic ideas.  

To broaden your horizons, there are numerous online resources you can use, such as, blog posts, research journals, and tutorials. By leveraging the valuable assets of the Internet, you can build your skills and gain insights on interesting topics, which can lead to inspiration and the generation of ideas. 

For instance, I am making the most of my time by immersing myself into virtual coding workshops, leadership webinars, and STEM-related TED Talks. The benefits of these are extensive: I have developed my programming skills, discovered new strategies that can help me reach my goals, learnt about the latest technology, and explored STEM fields that pique my interest. It has also given me several ideas, such as, creating an educational website for students my age; I am now motivated to keep learning so that I can transform these visions into a tangible reality.  

What you learn can take you far and guide you towards the most rewarding paths, so never stop feeding your brain with knowledge! 

Creating a Purposeful Impact

Knowledge can be harnessed and applied in meaningful ways, making it incredibly valuable. There are many at-home STEM projects that you can engage in, such as, creating an app, researching wildlife in your backyard, or building something with any materials you can find. 

To get started, identify a need in your community or even something that interests you. Then, think about how you plan on using your knowledge and resources to address this issue or take this interest to the next level. Feel free to go back to the first step and do some extra research. Once you have an idea, you can take action! 

Applying STEM in the context of today’s world can be a valuable experience because you get the opportunity to make a positive difference from home. Furthermore, trying to create something meaningful can motivate you to learn more and develop your understanding of certain topics.  

Communicating Your Ideas and Solutions

After that, share what you have learned and created with the people around you. Communicating your ideas helps you grow intellectually and as a person; it also allows an exchange of insights to occur, and for your knowledge and ideas to be reviewed by others. You can take this feedback and use it to improve what you have created. At the same time, you are also educating the people around you by taking the time to share your experiences and work.  

When communicating, you want to be clear about what your work means and how it is significant in the real world. Use language based on who your audience is, and make sure that you are clear and accurate when explaining your project. This ensures that you are understood by others, who can provide an honest assessment of your work.  

To share your findings, you can use different social media platforms, for example, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to reach a large audience or even communicate these ideas to your friends, family, and teachers. You can also contact scientists or professionals at nearby universities or companies for their feedback on your work. They may be willing to mentor you and provide some guidance that can allow you to refine your project, which is the final step! 

Refining Your Understanding 

At this stage, it is time to consider what insights you have gained from the conversations you have had with other people. During this step, you want to be open-minded, and approach your work with a positive mindset. This way, you can identify where there is room for improvement or further study. Remember, there is always something that can be taken away from every experience, so make everything a teachable moment! That mindset will enable you to grow.  

Knowledge: The Key to A Sustainable Future 

All in all, keep learning, applying, sharing, and refining because the more informed and innovative we are, the better our world will be.  The vital knowledge we gain in school will enable us to improve our lives by devising solutions to pressing problems, such as climate change. But our learning does not have to stop there! During the COVID-19 pandemic, which forces us to stay at home, we can grow our curiosity and knowledge by ourselves and harness it in ways that benefit our world and community. 

So, open up that science magazine or sign up for a virtual STEM workshop, because what we can do with our knowledge is utterly remarkable!