As Micron looks to celebrate STEM Day on Sunday, Nov. 8, we reflect on 2020 and the unprecedented pandemic that has forced us to reevaluate how we live and work.

We believe the challenges of 2020 have provided a catalyst for different ways to work and to collaborate, which will in turn fuel the next generation of innovation and thought. Innovations we now rely on daily, such as video meetings, cloud-based computing and incredibly powerful personal devices, are all made possible by science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM fields.

The ability to respond quickly to a pandemic with innovative therapeutics and even a vaccine results from STEM innovation in medicine and data science. At the core of these innovations are STEM skills: knowing how to solve complex problems, making sense of data and gathering evidence to make decisions. The importance of these skills is why Micron chooses to invest in STEM education.

Micron values STEM education

Micron has been a consistent leader in promoting STEM education as we look to fulfill our overall mission of “transforming how the world uses information to enrich life for all.” We believe we can achieve this mission by growing a diverse and robust STEM pipeline that cultivates tomorrow’s technology leaders. By staying true to our values of tenacity and innovation, Micron has persisted with STEM education initiatives, accelerating learning and growth for students throughout the world.

How has Micron done this? Through strategic philanthropy, partnerships and programs focused on STEM. Our STEM grants totaled over $5 million in 2020, benefiting over 500,000 students. Since 2006, our direct programming has reached over 300,000 students. Team members throughout the world who are committed to giving back to our communities see the value of STEM education and volunteer tens of thousands of hours every year to help educate the next generation. This year alone, even with the pandemic, almost 10,000 team members worldwide have volunteered over 75,000 hours, many for STEM-related activities.

Read how Micron is promoting STEM education!

We celebrate STEM and the educators and professionals who are driving the next generation of innovation on this STEM Day! Below, we showcase just a few examples throughout the last two years that highlight the good work Micron and its people are doing to promote STEM skills.

Global

Virtual Summer Internships
Micron was one of the few companies to honor its commitments to college students around the globe by providing an amazingly successful virtual internship program to 205 students from over 60 universities.

Micron UV Robot Design Challenge
Micron engaged some of the world’s brightest minds to create a low-cost robot that could use ultraviolet light (UV) to sanitize workplaces and other spaces of COVID-19 and other pathogens.

We saw more than 70 UV robots designed by over 400 participants, from robots with automated machine learning features to those that integrated a disinfection function into the robot arms.

Malaysia

Fun With Arduino: An Introduction to Embedded Systems
This collaborative two-day workshop with Penang Science Cluster and Micron Memory Penang interns introduced young women to programming and embedded systems.

Taiwan

Girls Going Tech (Before COVID-19)
The Girls Going Tech event, which encourages young women to pursue careers in technology and science fields, earned Micron Taiwan a CommonWealth CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] Award for focusing on programs for gender equality.

Taiwan Railways of Popular Science
The 2020 Taiwan Railways of Popular Science, a STEM-themed train that brings activities to students via a four-day railway tour through Taiwan, includes a Micron STEM car staffed with Micron volunteers.

Germany

Applied Programming on Raspberry Pi (Before COVID-19)
Girls learned to program a Raspberry Pi and build a self-driving robot.

Italy

Technology and Innovation Fair, Arzano (Before COVID-19)

Japan

Coding Workshop for K-12 Students Using Raspberry Pi (Before COVID-19)

China

STEM Activities at Micron Shanghai
The Micron Women’s Leadership Network chapter at Micron Shanghai invited seventh-grade students on-site to learn about Micron and engage in fun STEM activities.

U.S.

Summer Math and Science Remediation (SIMS)
Micron provides the funding for hundreds of students transitioning from elementary to secondary schools who are struggling with math and science to get extra help. This remediation is aimed at increasing the students’ confidence in these subjects.

Willowcreek Junior High students in Lehi, Utah, who received gifts from Micron for completing the SIMS program

Sacramento Kings Girls in STEM Camp (Before COVID-19)
Through this camp, young women explore STEM careers and participate in engineering design activities.

USA Science and Engineering Festival (Before COVID-19)
Micron team members staff tables at the annual USA Science and Engineering Fair to inspire students to get excited about these subjects.

STEM in the Community during COVID-19
Students participate in a STEM activity using lesson materials from Micron’s K-12 program.

Virtual Tech Camp
Our annual summer STEM camp pivoted to a virtual experience in 2020. Four camps allowed Micron to provide semiconductor-specific mentorship and activities to hundreds of students across the continent. With a focus on expanding opportunity and diversity and reaching beyond our geography, the camp served a much broader population than was previously possible. Tech Camp was a prime example of the innovation stemming from the events of 2020.

Micron proudly promotes STEM Day!

These activities represent just a small sampling of the ways Micron is making a difference in the world of STEM in our communities. To learn more, visit us at micron.com/foundation.

As part of our celebration of STEM Day, Micron is also committed to providing resources for educators and parents to enhance the learning experiences of the next generation of leaders. These resources can be found on our K12 Educators webpage.