BEFORE STEM, THERE WAS CHROME…

In April 1983, the seminal report, A Nation At Risk, published by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Commission on Excellence in Education, heralded the message that our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation science, and technological innovation was being overtaken by competitors throughout the world.This report, a result of 18 months of study, sought to generate reform of America’s educational system in fundamental ways and to renew the Nation’s commitment to schools and colleges of high quality.

Fueled by the reports’ conclusion that our country had squandered the gains in achievement made in the wake of the Sputnik challenge, five months later in September 1983, a consortium of private companies, government agencies, school systems, colleges, universities, and private donors gave birth to CHROME with initial leadership provided by The Planning Council in Norfolk. CHROME’s first three major donors were the Ford Motor Company, NASA’S Langley Research Center, and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME).

Today, CHROME has provided nearly five (5) decades of quality programs in engineering, technology, and the sciences to thousands of K-12 students in the Hampton Roads region. Although the participation of underrepresented minority groups in engineering and other STEM fields has recognized some gains, the numbers remain below their proportions in the general population, indicating ongoing challenges in achieving full representation.

CHROME ALUMNI, CHROME SPONSORS, PRESIDENTS OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ALONG WITH THE DYNAMIC LEADERS OF INDUSTRY, WE INVITE YOU TO WALK WITH US AS WE TRAVEL THE NEXT 50 YEARS OF OUR JOURNEY. AS WE APPROACH THE NEXT 50 YEARS:

• Quantum-based technologies, such as, the Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for medical imaging, have already transformed society and the American economy. The U.S. strategy for Quantum Information Science (QIS) R&D, with an emphasis on the science, workforce, industry, infrastructure, security, and international cooperation focuses first on getting the mathematics and the science right. (quantum.gov)
• Mathematical learning in the early childhood years must be initiated well before first grade. Children can learn the ideas and skills that support later, more complex mathematics understanding.
• Ordinary scientific and mathematical thinking must be transformed into design thinking for students in grades 6 through 12, presenting an opportunity for students to learn another way of interacting with the natural and designed world around them, and
• An emerging body of evidence suggests that integration of the arts, humanities, and STEMM fields - science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine—is associated with positive learning outcomes that may help students enter the workforce, live enriched lives, and become active and informed members of a modern democracy.