Scientists in lab coats and Silicon Valley coders that’s what usually comes to mind when thinking about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
But STEM is more than the stereotype. It includes diverse disciplines feeding ever-changing industries, and Maine is fertile ground for STEM development, says Walter Rawle, chairman of the Maine chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
He cites innovations in traditional industries like forestry, agriculture and fishing; and new developments in fields as disparate as bioscience, health care, artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, military applications and a concept in the works to develop a Maine spaceport complex.