Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century

Description: In 2018, the National Academies released Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, detailing the ways that continuous, dramatic innovations in research methods and technologies, changes in the nature and availability of work, shifts in demographics, and expansions in the scope of occupations needing STEM expertise have all raised questions about how well the current STEM graduate education system is meeting the full array of 21st century needs. At this event Scherer, who was one the editors of the report, will be in conversation with Anna Mapp, Associate Dean of Biological and Health Sciences at Rackham Graduate School, discussing lessons from the report, and the future of graduate education in the sciences, medicine, and engineering.

Layne Scherer is a senior program officer with the Board of Higher Education and Workforce at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She served as the study director for the Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century. Other projects in her portfolio include mental health, substance abuse, and well-being in higher education; understanding the K12 teacher workforce; and the roundtable on systemic change in undergraduate STEM education. Prior to joining the National Academies, Scherer was a science assistant at the National Science Foundation with the office of the Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources. In addition to her internal research and policy responsibilities for the agency, Scherer served as an executive secretary for the National Science and Technology Council’s interagency work on coordinating federal investment in STEM education.

Scherer is a lifelong Michigander, growing up in Northville, MI. She earned her B.A. from LSA with a dual concentration in English and history of art (2008). As an undergraduate, she participated in the inaugural class of the Development Summer Internship Program (D-SIP) with the Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Scherer earned her master’s of public policy from the Ford School with a focus on non-profit management, higher education, and quantitative methods (2014). She is also a proud alum of Michigan's ultimate program and now coaches college and club teams in Washington, D.C.

• STPP
• Layne Scherer
• STEM Education