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Abstract

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field is greatly promoted as a career path for students in recent years, and the demand for individuals specializing in STEM disciplines is expected to rise. Often, when considering STEM, one thinks of careers related to medicine, laboratory settings, or the pure sciences. However, in examining only these aspects of STEM, we may errantly overlook the impacts that P-20 education may have in using STEM as a means for improving student lives. One unique aspect of STEM is its role in helping to improve our well being as individuals and society as a whole, not only through improvements in fields such as technology and medicine, but also as a stimulus for promoting improvements in the community and beyond. There are opportunities for STEM education to aid in social justice through examining local community issues, including environmental quality and access to health and nutritional services, among other topics. As noted by Webb and Barrera in this edition of Catalyst (2017), “The primary focus of education is to improve students’ lives by providing means to overcome the inequities of school and society, and it is the responsibility of teachers to see that this happens for every learner.” This issue of Catalyst aims to present a collection of works that examines the role of STEM education in aiding in these opportunities not only for the PK-12 classroom, but also in the college classroom and through pre-service educator training.

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