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The authors use 2014–2018 data from the American Community Survey to answer two questions: To what extent is military service associated with higher rates of earning a bachelor’s degree in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field (vs. a non-STEM field)? To what extent is this relationship gendered? The findings suggest that military service is associated with higher odds of completing a STEM degree and that this association is particularly strong for female veterans. Comparison across multiple STEM definitions suggests that military service does not simply channel women into traditionally female-dominated STEM fields. Instead, the findings show the biggest boost for women earning degrees in traditionally male-dominated STEM fields. The authors situate these findings in light of extant empirical and theoretical research on gender gaps in STEM and discuss implications for policy and research.
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This content will become publicly available on June 10, 2026
From Molecules to Ecosystems: Scientists’ Conceptualizations of Dynamic Equilibrium
The study investigates whether Dynamic Equilibrium (DE) can serve as a “powerful idea” (Papert, 1980) that bridges phenomena across STEM fields. Through semi-structured interviews with five scientists, we identified three themes: DE was rarely used explicitly but appeared across fields; reflection on DE prompted a more generalized framing; and DE spanned scales from molecules to human populations. These findings suggest DE’s potential as a cross-cutting concept that connects otherwise fragmented content in STEM education.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2240216
- PAR ID:
- 10614032
- Publisher / Repository:
- Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2025
- Date Published:
- Edition / Version:
- ICLS 2025
- ISBN:
- 979-8-9906980-3-1
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 3085 to 3087
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/11699?mode=full
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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