N
ot surprisingly, 44 percent of U.S. adults say they felt more excited about science when they were kids, reports the
State of Science Index, a global study commissioned by 3M examining the general population's attitudes toward
science. Maintaining students' interest in science during the middle school years is crucial to increasing the likelihood
they'll pursue STEM careers. That's important, since studies show our nation will need to produce an additional one
million STEM workers between 2012 and 2022 alone.