ABOUT US
THE OPPORTUNITY
Ensuring any American, no matter their background or location, has the access and opportunity to enter and thrive in the STEMM economy.
Essential to scientific excellence: A STEMM economy that embraces people from all backgrounds, geographies and identities will accelerate American innovation and advance scientific discovery and achievement. Complex problems affecting health, our planet, and our world require multifaceted, creative and innovative solutions, which are best addressed by teams comprised of multiple distinct perspectives and experiences.
Critical for U.S. growth and competitiveness: America’s varied population is one of our nation’s strongest economic and globally competitive advantages. Nurturing scientists and engineers from every American community is crucial to maintaining U.S. innovation and economic growth and meeting workforce needs.
Necessary for building a just society and better individual lives: STEMM jobs are among the most lucrative opportunities at all skill levels, often outpacing the average salaries for similarly skilled non-STEMM jobs. A broader STEMM workforce will allow more Americans to seek these economic opportunities.
THE SOLUTION
STEMM OPPORTUNITY ALLIANCE
MISSION
Drive cross-sector collective action that supports and harnesses the rich tapestry of the American population to add 20 million new STEMM workers to the U.S. economy by 2050, spurring economic development, innovation and scientific excellence.
VISION
An interconnected U.S. STEMM ecosystem where any American, no matter their background or location, has the opportunity and access to thrive in the STEMM economy and help fulfill America’s promise for health and prosperity for all.
The STEMM Opportunity Alliance is a network of hundreds of cross-sector Partners working together to achieve change. SOA’s approach brings together independent ecosystems of experts and practitioners together – across informal and formal learning, post-secondary training and education, research and development, innovation, and workforce – to align, coordinate, and share.
SOA’s common agenda is guided by its foundational national strategy vision – co-created with more than 1,500 experts and community members and unveiled in 2024 – and propelled by the Alliance’s collaborative strategies, developed by Partners to address the factors that impact SOA’s goals to ultimately add 20 million new STEMM workers to the U.S. economy by 2050.
Partner organizations aren’t just signing a commitment – they are doing the work. They actively align their organizations’ work and offerings with the common agenda and take part in Workgroups to collaborate on implementing the coalition strategies. AAAS serves as the backbone organization to support the network – coordinating the coalition, offering shared logistics and resources, and maintaining alignment across the shared goals.
Learn more about the Alliance’s strategies.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
The STEMM Opportunity Alliance, led by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was co-founded with the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF).
MEET THE TEAM
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is dedicated to advancing science, engineering, and innovation for the benefit of all. With individual members in more than 91 countries across the globe, AAAS is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and a nonprofit publisher of cutting-edge research through the Science family of journals.
As one of the leading voices for the global scientific community, AAAS spearheads initiatives in science policy, international cooperation and diplomacy, STEMM education and more. AAAS strives to advance scientific excellence and achievement, foster equity and inclusion for scientific excellence, build trust among scientists and communities, and catalyze progress where science meets policy. SOA’s mission aligns with one of the organization’s main strategic pillars, which is to foster the diverse, equitable, open, and inclusive scientific enterprise that is essential for scientific excellence.
