STEM Career: Zoologist & Wildlife Biologist

Who says that STEM careers have to be boring? If studying animas in their natural habitat or estimating plant or wildlife populations sounds interesting to you then a career in zoology and wildlife biology might be for you!

Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists study the origins, behaviors, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. Some specialize in wildlife research and management, while others may collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use  of land and water habits.

This well-rounded STEM career encompasses knowledge of biology, the English language, math, computers and electronics, and management and administration. Often, Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists have a background in one of the following fields: Animal Physiology; Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences; Ecology; Entomology; Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management.

Based on 2014 wage and employment trends, students who want to pursue a career in the zoology field can expect an annual median salary of $58,270, well above the national median pay for all jobs.

Design Your Future with the STEM Career Lab!

Do you want to explore STEM careers and find out which one you think is for you? Then this is the resource for you! Stemcareerlab.org was designed to help high school students explore future STEM career fields.

Today's STEM professionals create virtual worlds, design amazing machines, invent new materials, construct earth-friendly buildings and engineer cutting-edge air vehicles. And that's just to name a few! Through the collection of videos on stemcareerlab.org, students can hear from STEM professionals about their educational pathway, what it is they love about their jobs, and how they really do use the science and math they learned in high school. 

Professions on the website include advanced manufacturing and materials, aerospace engineering, agricultural engineering, architecture, biomechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, construction management, electrical engineering, human performance, systems engineering, virtual reality design, and water resource management. 

Check out a video today and start planning your STEM future!

STEM Interest Among Teens Declining?

CBS News reported yesterday that STEM interest among teens is actually declining. This may seem strange given the economy's current state and the difficulty finding a job many members of the younger generation are facing, but experts at the Partnership for a New American Economy project say that there will be a shortfall of 230,000 qualified advanced-degree STEM workers by 2018.

At a time when most buzz about STEM and the initiatives in place to make it more exciting and relevant in today's schools is positive, this comes as a total downer. As stated in the CBS News report, the Partnership for a New American Economy project's Junior Achievement USA and ING U.S. Foundation teamed up to survey 1,025 teens about their career plans. This is the 12th year that they have conducted the survey, and nearly half of the students ranked STEM and medical-related fields as their top choice. Forty-six percent sounds encouraging, but that is a 15 percent decline from the 2012 survey, when 61 percent of students considered STEM their top choice.

So what's happening? Where is the disconnect between efforts being made to make STEM the go-to choice for student interest and actual student interest? Are U.S. students just simply more interested in other fields than they are STEM fields?

As CBS explains, regardless of whether there is a shortage, the first step in developing a deeper American talent pool is bolstering student interest in STEM fields. The question now: how are we going to do that?

It appears we may to go back to the drawing board, reevaluate current initiatives and efforts and implement some changes.

Check out the full CBS News report for detailed commentary on the topic and more information.