Science, Math Education Gap Fueled by Lack of Knowledge on Career Opportunities, Survey Shows

Emerson announces extended ‘I Love STEM’ campaign with YouTube star
Hank Green to build awareness and excitement around Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math careers

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Demand for scientists and engineers has never been stronger, but many
young people in the U.S. are avoiding science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) because they don’t understand the opportunities,
according to a new survey released today by Emerson (NYSE:EMR).

The survey* revealed that 42 percent of respondents would have
considered a career in STEM fields had they better understood a
potential career path, and one-third of respondents didn’t pursue a STEM
career because it seemed too hard. Additionally, women were
significantly more likely than men to avoid a career in STEM because
they were afraid they wouldn’t succeed.

These findings demonstrate an ongoing need to educate young people on
the vast opportunities that can await STEM-educated college graduates as
they enter the workforce. To help address this need, Emerson today
announced an extension of its groundbreaking “I
Love STEM” campaign, a multimedia initiative focused on showing the
connections between today’s innovations and the scientists and engineers
behind them. YouTube star and self-proclaimed “science nerd” Hank Green
will continue in his role as a high-profile spokesperson for the
marketing and social media initiative.

“Scientists and engineers power human progress, and STEM education
drives these incredibly important careers,” said Emerson Chief Marketing
Officer Kathy Button Bell. “Emerson is committed to reaching out to the
young people who will become leaders and innovators for Emerson, our
customers and other organizations around the globe. We saw a tremendous
response to I Love STEM last year, and we’re looking forward to turning
up the volume over the year to come.”

Despite confusion about STEM career paths, most adults surveyed had high
opinions of engineers, with 65 percent of respondents agreeing that
engineers are creative, and only 30 percent viewing engineers as
perfectionists.

Emerson has a long history of supporting STEM education initiatives.
While I Love STEM is the highest-profile campaign the company has
supported to date, it maintains strong commitments to STEM and robotics
programs in communities across the U.S.

Green is well-known for his YouTube channels Vlogbrothers, Crash Course
and SciShow, which combined have more than 10 million YouTube
subscribers, nearly 2 billion video views, and nearly 4,200 videos.

“STEM education is a topic that is near and dear to Emerson, and we’ve
made a real difference over the past year in raising awareness with I
Love STEM,” Button Bell said. “The new survey shows that we have more
work to do to help reduce misunderstandings about science and math
fields. We’re glad to continue this important work in the months to
come.”

About Emerson

Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global
leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide
innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and
consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five
business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network
Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions.
Sales in fiscal 2015 were $22.3 billion. For more information, visit Emerson.com.

*The survey sample consisted of 1,000 U.S. adults 18 years of age and
older

Contacts

For Emerson
Emily Caine, 314-982-7722
emily.caine@fleishman.com