An overview of the recent National Research Council report “Successful K-12 STEM Education,” plus examples of innovative research-based tools for engineering education.

Just as today’s engineers design integrated circuits based on the known physical properties of materials and use them to create electronic devices with amazing capabilities, tomorrow’s synthetic biologists are poised to design and build biological systems that are custom-tailored to make a better world.

In February 2012, the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) and DISCOVER magazine presented “Advanced Materials: Stories of Innovation,” a symposium exploring the role of materials in the evolution of technology and how innovations can provide solutions to societal problems.