OJ Engineering: Newsletter
Hello! Thank you for reading this week's edition of the OJ Engineering Newsletter. This week is full of STEM stories and engineering breakthroughs.
Several federal-level STEM education trends are emerging this week. The National Science Teaching Association’s “Advocacy in Action” webinar held June 11 gave an in-depth preview of forthcoming federal policy initiatives influencing K–12 STEM. Attendees highlighted clearer funding trajectories and a growing emphasis on teacher compensation, with a second session scheduled for June 18 to break down state-level implications.
University programs continue to strengthen diversity in STEM. On June 11, Howard University’s Karsh STEM Scholars Program was honored with Insight Into Academia’s “Inspiring Programs in STEM” award for its exceptional support of underrepresented students pursuing advanced STEM degrees.
Meanwhile, Northeast Ohio’s “STEM Goes Red” initiative—led by a pharmacist and a perfusionist—hosted hundreds of middle-school girls this week, aiming to boost female representation in cardiovascular STEM careers.
In engineering and research breakthroughs, physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder unveiled a cutting-edge quantum sensor on June 14 capable of tracking 3D acceleration in ultracold atom ensembles—achieving breakthrough precision without the need for GPS.
From the biomedical front, Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers published discoveries on June 18 revealing how metabolites guide intestinal stem cell fate, a finding that reshapes our understanding of gut health and regenerative medicine.
Overseas, the UK’s Big Bang Young Scientists & Engineers Fair ran from June 17–19 at Birmingham’s NEC. Thousands of students engaged in robot coding, drone football, AI demonstrations, biomimicry shows and career panels—bringing STEM careers vividly to life for school-aged participants.
On the internationalen stage of science, the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter revealed the first-ever images of the Sun’s south pole on June 11—marking a milestone in solar physics and space weather prediction.
Additionally, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering 2025 recognized pioneers in modern machine learning—honoring Bengio, Hinton, Hopfield and LeCun for their foundational contributions to neural networks.
Lastly, industry and sustainability also featured prominently. Sandia National Laboratories was noted this week for advancing engineering tools and scaling methods to support environmentally responsible AI systems . And at USF, faculty earned recognition too: Professor Maya Trotz was elected as an AEESP Fellow for her innovative work in water equity and coral reef resilience, and Professor Lingling Fan received IEEE PES’s Wanda Reder Pioneer in Power Award for her contributions to grid integration of renewables.
Best, OJ Engineering team
References:
• Archive: 2025 STEM Policy Landscape, June 11, 2025 (NSTA)
• Physicists create 3D quantum accelerometer (ScienceDaily)
• Howard University Karsh STEM Scholars award (Insight Into Academia)
• STEM Goes Red Experience in Northeast Ohio (American Heart Association)
• MSK research on intestinal stem cells (MSK News)
• Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair (EngineeringUK & Wikipedia)
• ESA Solar Orbiter first south pole images (2025 in science)
• QE Prize 2025 for Modern Machine Learning (Queen Elizabeth Prize)
• Sandia engineering advances in AI (PAM digest)
• USF faculty awards in environmental/power engineering (USF College of Engineering)