Harnessing the H in STEM: Hope, Heart, and Humanity

In April, I had the honor of speaking at the White House for the U.S. Department of Education 's 2024 YOU Belong in STEM 2nd Annual National Convening. My talk, “Harnessing the H in STEM: Hope, Heart, and Humanity,” called for a shift in how we think about STEM—not just as a set of technical skills but as a force that can center human connection and possibility.

What Does it Mean to Put the ‘H’ in STEM? My earliest images of STEM came from the science fiction I grew up on: Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica—visions of drones, death stars, planet-destroying technologies, and wars. These were powerful portrayals of STEM’s potential, but they leaned heavily on its capacity for destruction rather than its possibilities for good. It’s ironic and inspiring to stand here today, imagining a world where STEM is different: a world where every child belongs, where STEM and math are seen as tools of endless possibilities for good.

What if STEM could instead evoke joy, curiosity, authenticity, and relevance? What if every child could find themselves in STEM, not as an outsider but as a valued creator? This shift starts with Hope, Heart, and Humanity.

Hope: The Foundation of Belonging in STEM Hope is more than an ideal; it’s a verb—a driver of the actions we take to build STEM spaces where everyone can thrive. In 2018, a simple question changed my approach to teaching: “What if we designed for the experiences of children using different verbs than the ones we were traditionally taught?” Inspired by this, we created the InspireMath Hope Wheel, grounding our lesson plans in action words like Love, Invest, Inspire, Create, Restore, and Protest. Imagine a math classroom where these verbs lead every activity. Hope in the classroom transforms STEM from a set of concepts into a tool that lets students connect, create, and contribute meaningfully to the world.

Heart: Bringing People to the Center of STEM In topology, a “neighborhood” is a space around a point with infinite possibilities. Imagine if STEM could be this kind of neighborhood—a space at the center of learning where everyone feels they belong. Last October at the NCTM conference, this concept came to life as we celebrated Black Math Teacher Love Day. What started as a gathering became a spontaneous dance to the Electric Slide. We exceeded our goal of building a network of 100 Black math educators, reaching almost 150. This moment underscored a profound truth: when we bring BIPOC communities to the center of STEM, the atmosphere shifts in remarkable ways.

Humanity: Celebrating People in STEM Math is about more than solving equations; it’s about celebrating the people through the numbers. We’ve seen that students thrive when they feel their humanity is respected in STEM spaces. This isn’t just a boost to confidence; it’s about building environments where students know they belong - and where they actually belong. We believe in a STEM that celebrates people, their cultures, and their communities as passionately as we celebrate Pi Day.

The Future We’re Longing For Imagine a STEM field that values people as much as it values knowledge, one built on Hope, Heart, and Humanity. This is the vision that drives InspireMath, and it’s a future where all students can see themselves as creators, dreamers, and agents of change in STEM.