STEM Subjects Made More Appealing by Big Bang Theory: A recent of survey of 1,500 14-18 year olds has suggested that shows such as the Big Bang Theory, the Gadget Show, and those presented by Professor Brian Cox may be a driving force behind increased take up of STEM subjects in the future. According to researchers, almost half of young people surveyed suggested that shows such as the Big Bang Theory made STEM subjects more appealing. More than a third (37%) also mentioned that Professor Cox had influenced them to consider taking subjects within the STEM area. {Tweet This}

STEM Subjects Made More Appealing by Big Bang Theory – A Spiral Galaxy

Perhaps as a result of the fame and popularity of Professor Brian Cox, the University of Manchester last year became the first in the country to begin asking physics applicants to achieve two elite A* grades in order to be offered a place on the course. Although Manchester has always been a popular university for physics applicants, with discoveries such as graphene only adding to that, it is also suggested that Prof. Cox’s first year modules on Quantum Physics and Relativity are a significant factor in the rising number of applications.

STEM Still Has Barriers To Overcome

Still, STEM certainly still has a barrier to overcome. Other findings from the survey, published by Mondelēz International, suggested that the top reason students avoid STEM subjects is because they find them boring (44%), with more than half (53%) stating they considered them harder than humanities type courses and two fifths thought STEM subjects were less ‘fun’. {Tweet This}

The research also suggested that girls are less likely to choose STEM – with only 49% considering taking a subject in this broad field compared to 64% of boys. Girls were particularly pessimistic about a career in engineering, with only 19% saying they would consider the career as opposed to half (51%) of boys. In addition, a third of girls (34%) felt that careers advice was pushing women in to non-STEM subjects, and the same proportion felt intimidated by the industry’s perception as male-dominated. {Tweet This}

STEM Subjects Made More Appealing by Big Bang Theory – But Girls Are Still Less Likely To Choose STEM Subjects

There were also misconceptions over exactly what a job in the STEM sector would involve, with more than two thirds (67%) of respondents feeling that only those with the highest IQs would be able to work in a STEM orientated career, and more than one in five (21%) saying that you need to be a ‘geek’ to work in the field. In the same way, three fifths (60%) believed you would need a degree to get a job in STEM, and 47% felt they were not ‘technical’ enough – suggesting that there is a lack of awareness about both the job role itself, and the routes available post-16 and after A-levels. {Tweet This}

Despite the fears and barriers above, 59% of those questioned in this survey actually felt that studying a STEM subject would lead to a better paid job, whilst 48% said STEM was more useful than Humanities (compared to 21% who said the inverse). {Tweet This}

Last month, Semta, the sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technology, warned that the STEM industry was facing a crippling skills gap – a shortfall of 80,000 workers is predicted in the next two years alone. Semta said that this was due in a large part to a lack of students studying subjects in this area.