This article was taken from the August 2013 issue of Wired
magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before
they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional
content by subscribing
Not long ago, the US was considered the number-one nation in the
world when it came to science, technology, engineering and maths
Now, nearly a generation later, it's number 17 and 25 in science
and maths respectively. And this isn't just an American issue; the
UK has slipped in the
rankings too, now occupying 16th place in science and 28th in
maths. Good on us… We're all screwed!
The US government woke up to the problem during a gathering of
the Council on Competitiveness, a non-governmental organisation of
CEOs, university presidents and labour representatives (we're very
competitive). In his 2006 State of
the Union speech, President George W Bush committed the US
government to legislation to promote Stem education (that's
science, technology, engineering and maths). He argued that the
country needed to prepare the next generation for the high-tech
jobs of the future. Although their intentions were good, our
bureaucratic idiots missed a huge opportunity. They left out the
essential element: creative thinking.
Creativity has been the long-standing missing ingredient in
education. Companies have been desperately seeking it since the
last depression. Creative thinking leads to innovation, and
innovation leads to success. Sure, science, technology, engineering
and maths are necessary, but without the initial creative stimulus
for solving a problem or imagining the possible, nothing would ever
I'm on the board of The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD),
often considered the number-one art-and-design school in the world.
At the height of the recession the school's president, John Maeda,
explained to the board why we couldn't expect to be high up on the
federal government's radar, given the government's focus on Stem.
As he was writing that acronym on the whiteboard, I wondered who
would want to join or pursue something as boring as Stem. No wonder
we were number 25. I innocently quipped, "We need to stick an 'A'
for the Arts in there -- they represent creativity and creative
thinking -- and make some Steam." It was a far better, more
inspiring acronym that any idiot (even I) could instantly see.
Steam is the energy required to build momentum; Stem is something
that gets stuck in a lapel or that we should be researching.
John had another observation: RISD hasn't just produced great
artists and designers -- it's produced "critical thinkers and
critical makers". This is in large part due to a curriculum that
still respects the foundations of creative process. He went on to
point to the multitude of graduates who didn't just become artists
but became successful entrepreneurs in business and other
professions way beyond the learned creative halls of our
institution. Because RISD doesn't just train, teach or produce
artists and designers -- it develops creative people, and teaches
them how to think and how to solve problems.
Critical thinking and critical making drive our economies. And
creative thinkers will always drive innovation. Although we'll
certainly need science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths
to produce whatever it is we want to accomplish, conceiving it will
always require the creative mind.
In the US, 11 of 50 states have signed on to the congressional
resolution to change Stem to
Steam. Perhaps if all our world leaders could comprehend this
thesis, this little Steam engine that could, might just make it
over the hill.
Jon Kamen is chairman and CEO of radicalmedia.com, a