Discover a Career Is your child having a hard time choosing a major that will suit their interests and talents? The University of Idaho offers a valuable resource for prospective students that will help them understand and discover a great path for their future. To take the informative assessment, visit uidaho.emsicc.com . INL Internships and Job Shadow Opportunities INL offers an excellent summer internship program that allows students to experience STEM in many different ways and learn about STEM careers. These paid internship opportunities enable students to collaborate with experienced scientists and engineers to develop innovative solutions to challenging, real- world projects. To apply, visit inl.gov/internships . INL also provides an unpaid job shadow program for high school students. It is designed to offer students an opportunity to observe a STEM professional at their everyday job. For more information, visit inl.gov/k-12 . STEM Myths There are a handful of STEM myths and stereotypes that many people seem to have heard and may believe. Here are just a few of the common ones that don’t hold up: 1. STEM is not a field that welcomes minorities, girls or women: Employers are actually hungry for minority students and women who are in STEM fields. 2. Girls don’t like math and science: Often, girls are discouraged when parents, teachers or even friends steer them in other directions. Research shows that girls, given encouragement and support, often have deep interest and ability to do very well in STEM subjects. 3. Science and math are boring and not relevant in real life: Science and math are used in everyday life. This can be seen across the board, from things like measurements and chemistry in cooking to explaining how a car engine works. 4. Math and science are for brainiacs only: Studies have shown that a passion for STEM subjects is a much bigger key to success than sheer brainpower. Old teaching methods are being replaced by more exciting and success-oriented approaches in the classroom. 5. STEM jobs are isolated and lonely: There are numerous STEM professions, and many require people to team up to solve problems, such as environmental scientists working to clean the water and air, or public health officials working with communities to wipe out disease. 4