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By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2019, The Oklahoman Oklahoma is a great place to live. Oklahoma is a great place to work. We are a state that seems ready to seize the moment and leverage the quality of life and business-friendly advantages here to add innovation and technology-based economic development to Oklahoma’s list of “greats.”Read more

By Scott Meacham Copyright © (2019), The Oklahoman I learn something new practically every day in this job. For example, did you know that Oklahoma has a state meal? According to the Oklahoma Historical Society website, that spread includes chicken-fried steak, barbecued pork, fried okra, squash, cornbread, grits, corn, sausage with biscuits and gravy, black-eyedRead more

By Scott MeachamCopyright © 2019, The Oklahoman I value benchmarking. Whatever the goal, comparing metrics with industry leaders is the best way to test and improve results. Especially when the comparison is not what we would want it to be. It is no surprise that when it comes to the key indicators of a robustRead more

By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2018, The Oklahoma Publishing Co. At current course and speed, the U.S. is expected to need at least a million more STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workers over the next decade than the current pipeline will produce. Focusing just on Oklahoma, recent statistics show that in our state, fromRead more

By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2017, The Oklahoma Publishing Co. All over Oklahoma, students from kindergarten to college are heading back to school. My biggest hope is that somehow, some way, Oklahoma’s teachers, parents, and those of us in the innovation economy and beyond, find ways to boost their interest and exposure to STEM (science,Read more

The past few weeks have been especially busy ones for Oklahoma Innovation Institute, a nonprofit committed to building an innovative economy in the Tulsa region. The institute is launching two new programs this summer: a community technology commercialization platform and BetaBlox, the startup accelerator that focuses on entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur training and mentorship.

But the perception that the business sector wants people trained to do the technical aspects of their jobs misses what the business sector really needs. Businesses need people who have essential technical foundational knowledge so they can provide training for the specific technical requirements of the particular job. However, businesses also need something additional from the higher education system — graduates who possess critical thinking and problem solving skills, and have the ability to be strong communicators — verbally and in writing.

It’s a rare moment that the leaders and scientists of Oklahoma’s bioscience industry can come together to share the collaborative spirit that is such a part of who they are and what they are creating. The annual OKBIO Summit and BioScience Awards dinner is one of those moments.

The Oklahoma manufacturing sector is experiencing rapid advancement leading to even stronger productivity and output. Much like the transformation during the Industrial Revolution, the current wave of innovation is the fastest in history driven by the convergence of technologies. The industrialization of these technologies is reinventing not only what we make, but how we make it.

New Year’s resolutions could help entrepreneurship grow in Oklahoma By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2016, The Oklahoma Publishing Company As I talk with people about entrepreneurship, it’s always interesting just how many people from different walks of life express a heartfelt desire for entrepreneurs to succeed. I’m not one for a long list of NewRead more

Last week I wrote about girls and women pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Today, I turn my attention to women with STEM education becoming entrepreneurs. While the number of women pursuing STEM degrees in college is alarmingly low, those who then go on to become entrepreneurs can be counted on one hand — at least in Oklahoma.

Encouragement for women in STEM-related fields needs to start early By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2015, The Oklahoma Publishing Company When we asked Dan Covey, the Belle Isle science teacher who was telling us about the school’s all-student Engineering Fair, he said something that really struck me. “We have equal interest from boys and girls,”Read more

Problem-solving is key to Belle Isle’s STEM education curriculum By Scott Meacham Copyright © 2015, The Oklahoma Publishing Company I’m passionate about STEM education — that’s science, technology, engineering and math — for a very practical reason. I want Oklahoma to be home to more advanced technology companies that produce new, high-paying jobs and wealthRead more

When astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, more than 125 million Americans were watching, including a certain preschooler from Atoka.

Francis Tuttle Pre-Engineering Academy hosted 432 middle school students in its eighth annual Engineering Challenge earlier this month.

Jackson Jandreau graduated from Putnam North High School this past spring and is now a freshman engineering student at Oklahoma State University.

One of the most exciting things that’s happened in Oklahoma recently is the construction of the General Electric Global Research Center right across the way from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics.

Awesome. That’s the word that best describes the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM). This school has a 24-year history of being “awesome.”

I must admit to being somewhat of a numbers nerd. I think numbers always tell a story whether they be a company’s financial statement or a state budget. I also believe in the old saying, “Put your money where your mouth is.”

Young Oklahomans need to be engaged in science, technology, engineering and math training.