National Academies Appoints Professor to Expert Committee

By Carol Jean Tomoguchi
​May 13, 2026

The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine appointed Professor June Ahn to an expert committee assigned to give a clear picture of future growth in the field of STEM learning.

In the past 15 years, opportunities for STEM learning in informal environments have greatly expanded and now serve as an essential part of the STEM education landscape, while research on all aspects of STEM learning has progressed.

The Committee on Enhancing the Reach and Contributions of Informal STEM Learning is tasked with analyzing the past 15 years of work and providing a clear picture of what the field of informal STEM learning looks like today and where it has the potential to grow.

"This expert committee appointed by the National Academies will write a consensus report that will identify high priority next steps for research and practice for informal STEM education," Ahn said.

June Ahn

The goals of the study include:

• ​Characterizing the state of informal STEM learning
• Describing where the field has seen the most growth over the past decade in research and practice
• Discussing how understandings of learning have evolved
• Identifying evidence-based strategies that can be used to expand the reach and effectiveness of informal STEM learning
• Developing recommendations for policy, practice, and research for enhancing the reach and contributions of informal STEM learning experiences

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Learn more about Enhancing the Reach and Contributions of Informal STEM Learning