I just presented at the IECA—International Educational Consultants Association—National Conference in Los Angeles. My session was titled “Critical Considerations in STEM Education.” Unfortunately, my presentation immediately followed “Grieving the Loss of Idealized Adolescence,” something I hoped was not a harbinger of things to come. In an attempt to lift the spirits in the room and support my views regarding science education, unicorn and rainbow emojis were showcased in my slide deck.

I opened the presentation with a statement of dissension against the acronyms STEM, STEAM, and even STREAM. One of my very smart friends wisely summed my own feelings about these unfortunate acronyms when she said, “When are they just going to call it ‘Good Education’?”

While we try to silo and compartmentalize science and distance it from language, the arts and other parts of a broader and enriching education, good educators know better. Good scientists know even better. The preeminent scientist, Edward O. Wilson, had a word for this, consilience. He valiantly and convincingly argued that those with the broadest, foundational knowledge who can see the connections between seemingly disparate pieces of information… often provide the most extraordinary insights and breakthroughs. And yet society feels the need to dissect information into nice, seemingly more comprehensible, little pieces. Silliness.

“Art without engineering is dreaming. Engineering without art is calculating.”
– Steven Roberts

However, that was not my main message for the presentation. After spending years teaching, hiring, mentoring and working with hundreds of incredible scientists, I wanted to provide other college admissions counselors with examples of underrepresented skills that would prepare their students to be more competitive in science schools, internships, jobs, and possibly life. Many of the skills have nothing to do with science but everything to do with being a good scientist and a likable person that people want to work with. These skills include seemingly mundane traditional practices such as a good handshake, capitalizing “i” in business/formal emails, holding the door, and saying please, thank you, and you’re welcome. Although these practices are not seminal for illustrating science knowledge and its practical use, they say a lot about being a considerate human being. And while these behaviors may not be important for solving math-based challenges, they have everything to do with the health, cohesiveness, and the productivity and lifespan of a group.

In closing my presentation, I suggested some resources for counselors to offer their students. There were academic sources such as Khan Academy and MIT OpenCourseWare as well as things to inspire building, such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi computer interface modules, but more importantly—in my opinion—I suggested counselors recommend a couple of books to their students: Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, and How to Win Friends and Influence People. My justification for these books is simple. If you don’t know the importance of “First Things First” or “Establish Empathy” then a student who knows the Ideal Gas Law and Euler’s Equation will not be nearly as successful as they could be.