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Why is engineering design important for all leaners? Engineering design systematically identifies needs, wants, and problems and then devises solutions to address them. A central component of our work is guiding students in the engineered design of solutions to local environmental problems. Science in society and schools must be for all citizens. Reasons include the desire to prepare citizens with the tools and knowledge to address local and global problems. With funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, we foster sustained learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for students from primary school through university. 

Usable STEM knowledge for tomorrow's STEM problems More universities and education programs need more STEM knowledge in formal and informal settings to guide learners in applying STEM learning to the creation of solutions. To address this challenge, Nancy Butler Songer, the dean of the College of Education at the University of Utah designed a learning approach, Solutioning, that guides youth to deepen science content through science and engineering practices. Creating a six-week curricular program, the learning approach provided opportunities for students to use engineering design to create and provide feedback on a trap design that would attract a local invasive insect that was harmful to their community. Research was conducted on studies to provide empirical evidence on student STEM knowledge and learning and their ability to define science and engineering. Research results indicate that even elementary-age students demonstrate significant improvement in their understanding of STEM arguments as evaluated with a pre-post assessment before and after implementing a six-week solutioning curricular program.