Creating STEM Leaders to Address Global Challenges

Newswise — Dr. Jose M. Torres, President of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), is preparing future STEM leaders by developing their most salient skills and passions to make a personal impact on the world while at the same creating an innovative new model for STEM education.

“Integrating the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals into our curriculum, our student research programs and our student entrepreneurship initiatives serves as a catalyst for future problem solving of the world’s most complex issues,” says Torres

“It’s about education that includes real-world investigation to find real-world solutions to real-world problems. Problems like poverty, hunger, climate change, sustainable energy, human ailments and threats of many kinds. IMSA isn’t solving the world’s problems. We are preparing the minds that will,” added Torres. Current projects led by IMSA related to the sustainable development goals can be viewed at https://app.imsaimpact.com

In addition to embedding the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals into its coursework, IMSA will host the 2018 International Student Science Fair June 27-July 1, 2018 for the first time in the United States, collaborating on an international stage with 40 schools from across the globe on three of the sustainable development goals that surpass national boundaries:  zero hunger, clean water and affordable energy.

“These pressing issues cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. ISSF 2018 (ISSF2018.com) will encourage and foster cooperation and collaboration among participating students and educators from all ends of the globe,” says Torres.

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) is the world’s leading teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry and an esteemed three-year residential high school.. Students hail from across Illinois and are enrolled in tuition-free, rigorous college preparatory classes. Graduates are leaders in the business, education, scientific, and civic sectors.

Notable technology alumni include YouTube Co-Founder Steve Chen, PayPal Co-Creator Yu Pan, Yelp Co-Founder Russell Simmons, SparkNotes and OkCupid Co-Founder Sam Yagan, and Hearsay Social Founder, Clara Shih. IMSA is proud to have been named among the top 40 public and private college preparatory institutions in the world by The Wall Street Journal. It was the 2009 winner of the Intel Schools of Distinction Star Innovator Award and has been profiled by NBC-TV's Dateline, CNN's Science and Technology News, USA Today, New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.