Many us know and appreciate Danny Glover the actor for lead roles in features like “The Color Purple” and the “Lethal Weapon” franchise. Last month, we discovered that Danny Glover the activist is equally compelling.

During a recent trip to Seattle, Washington STEM hosted Glover on a learning visit to the Technology Access Foundation Academy (TAFA). With a rigorous and relevant STEM education, TAFA prepares underserved students of color for higher education and professional success.

Glover’s visit was inspired by his desire to prepare for an upcoming role as a math professor in a new FOX show, “Touch,” and his lifelong passion and support for education and technology.

“Technology plays a major role in advancing students’ capabilities,” Glover said. “So I came to a place, specifically in TAF, where technology is used as a major platform in introducing children to the capacities that they have as learners. I wanted to see that.”

With its infusion of leading-edge technology and real-world learning experiences, TAFA embodies 21^st century STEM education. Support from Washington STEM is enabling TAFA to refine and document its innovative education model and expand its network to reach more kids through a second school in Renton. Learn more about TAFA and Washington STEM >>

A new study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce provides new data on the rising value of STEM degrees. Here in Washington, STEM jobs are projected to increase by 24 percent by 2018—seven points above the national average.

“What’s striking to me is that I’m used to thinking of liberal arts as the foundational degree that gives you lots of options in a career,” said Georgetown University’s Anthony Carnevale in a New York Times article on the study. “Increasingly, science, technology, engineering, and math are crucial to a wide-ranging career. You get a bigger bump going in, and almost at every stage you have other options.”

This report provides important data for STEM advocates in Washington and across the nation. Review the entire report and download Washington’s state profile >>

One of the best ways to bring STEM to life for students is through hands-on experience and practical application. Washington STEM is committed to uniting STEM professionals and educators across our state.

Last month, Washington STEM forged a partnership between Lease Crutcher Lewis, a Northwest general contractor founded in 1886, and Lincoln Center’s after school STEM club in Tacoma.

Students and Lewis engineers, led by company president Gary Smith, work on real-world design projects—from the construction and engineering challenges faced in the Lincoln High School renovation project, which Lewis led in 2007, to a recent cement pour at a current construction site in downtown Seattle.

Lee Ann Love, a science teacher and department chair, founded the STEM club to boost the school’s STEM offerings and spur student success in critical subjects like math and science.

“Students are working with STEM professionals to apply math and science to the design of real buildings, determining cost reduction measures, increasing environmental sustainability, and calculating the volume of cement needed for construction” said Love. “By connecting STEM to the real world, the club exposes students to math, science, and engineering in ways that inspire young minds and increase understanding.”

Lewis’s engagement with the STEM club coincides with a $125,000 gift to Washington STEM from Lewis CEO Bill Lewis in honor of the company’s 125th anniversary. Bill also serves on Washington STEM’s board of directors.

“Washington state is a national leader in STEM industries,” said Bill Lewis. “It is time for the innovation that drives our economy to be part of the experience in our schools. We, as STEM professionals, have a responsibility to make this happen, and Washington STEM can help us.”