Education systems need to focus more on independent critical thinking and rational, evidence-based learning and problem-solving to find answers to many of the unprecedented environmental, social and economic challenges facing humanity, experts say.    

 

Scientists from around the world, including Flinders University microbiologist Dr Jake Robinson, have called for a radical refocus of school curricula from early years to high school to include more critical thinking and learning skills to empower students to ‘think outside the box’.

The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) has received a $199,884 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to lead a multi-year initiative developing education standards for laboratory automation. The project, Standards for Automated Science Education, will create open, evidence-based guidelines to help educators align training with the real-world demands of automated, data-driven laboratories. Led by Kennedy McDaniel Bae, PhD, with collaborators from academia and industry including Carnegie Mellon University and the Acceleration Consortium, the effort aims to bridge gaps between rapid technology adoption and formal workforce training. Public resources will begin releasing in late 2026.

FAU will become Florida’s first university to publicly host a large, onsite quantum computer. Through a partnership with D-Wave, FAU will install the advanced Advantage2 system on its Boca Raton campus, accelerating breakthrough research, hands-on student training, and real-world applications. This milestone positions FAU as a hub for quantum education and innovation while strengthening Florida’s leadership in next-generation computing.

Since January 2023, interns in the South Carolina Science Writing Initiative for Trainees, based in the College of Graduate Studies at the Medical University of South Carolina, have been able to earn digital badges in science communications. A study published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science describes how this program helps graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to build communication skills that support community engagement, scientific understanding and career readiness.

Reno, Nev. (January 27, 2206) – DRI’s STEM Education Program was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The four-year project will address the need to advance artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science classroom education in grades K-12. To accomplish this, training and resources will be provided to undergraduate preservice educators and those already in the classroom, with a focus on Nevada’s rural communities.