About

The STEM Research and Modeling Network (SRMN) brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and funders who share the goal of using simulation modeling to strengthen student interest, participation and achievement in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The SRMN is hosted by the Business-Higher Education Forum and was founded in 2008 by BHEF, Raytheon Company, and The Ohio State University.

The impetus of the SRMN was the development of the U.S. STEM Education Model, a simulation model developed by the Raytheon Company in order to examine ways to increase the number of students choosing to major and graduate in STEM disciplines. Using the model as a starting point, the SRMN provides an open innovation platform for developing a common set of STEM education and research priorities. By bringing together multiple stakeholders, the SRMN fosters dynamic collaboration around modeling and research to improve practice and policy.

Given how new open innovation techniques and tools such as system dynamics modeling are to the field of education, a major focus of the SRMN will be to introduce these techniques and tools, as well as their benefits and opportunities, to the diverse range of stakeholders. The SRMN has already attracted several thought leaders, funders, and other potential partners to the effort:

• Multidisciplinary teams of faculty and graduate students based at The Ohio State University and Arizona State University have begun coalescing to create state-based models.
• A Nobel-Prize winning physicist has participated in the SRMN because of its potential to spur innovation in education R&D.
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided funding to launch the STEM Education Modeling Project and to support the initial development of the SRMN.
• The Kauffman Foundation has provided initial support for the SRMN, and NSF has expressed openness to supporting SRMN activities.
• IBM and Sun Microsystems have provided in-kind technical assistance regarding the development of an open innovation network.

The STEM Research and Modeling Network will play a central role in advancing a prototype system dynamics model developed by the Raytheon Company. Researchers and developers will be able to download the model freely for their own research and modeling work. As an open-source community, the SRMN will rely on its members for model maintenance, research-driven upgrades, technical assistance and other community support functions.

A Google Group has been set up for the SRMN, which provides a space for a message board, document sharing, member profiles if desired, and other useful applications. The SRMN Google Group is open to all interested parties, but it does require an initial registration. Find the sign-in page and instructions here: http://groups.google.com/group/srmn.