Day 1: Introduction to Stem Skills

Today's lesson clarified the nature of STEM Skills and STEM in Society: an exploration of science itself. 

• The instructors introduced themselves and the course.
• STEM Skills: teaches the "hard skills" of STEM, including data visualization and programming
• STEM in Society: addresses ethical issues of technology using reasoning techniques employed in philosophic debate. This course is novel, thought provoking, and different from most science courses that I have taken.
• Each student introduced themselves and one place where they would like to go.
• Activity in STEM in Society: car dilemma:
• How should a programmer program a car to act when the car is
• behind a truck that is dropping objects
• to the left of a motorcyclist
• to the right of a non-self-driving SUV

Reflection:

• Logical reasoning should be applied to ethical dilemmas.
• The goal of a technology should be reflected in its design. For example, programmers with different goals in the car dilemma would write different code.
• About technology in general: "With great power comes great responsibility."