Recently, there has been a lot of positive news for the addition of the Arts to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educational discussion.  What’s most notable is that the STEAM (STEM plus Arts) movement is not only taking hold in pockets throughout the United states, but widely across the country and even internationally. One key initiative was revealed last week through a partnership between Girl Up, Intel, Microsoft and the Rwandan Girls initiative to launch a Girls STEAM Camp in Africa.

In the U.S., advocates have been drawing connections for decision makers between the arts and the traditional STEM disciplines. There is a movement gathering momentum in Buffalo, NY.  Additionally, many initiatives have been resources and expanded building further connections between the STEAM disciplines, like the researchers at the University of California San Diego who recently received $300k for their work in music, science and cognition.

The Maker Movement, a parallel movement involving the arts with making (mostly based in engineering and creativity) have been expanding their scope to include the humanities.

With the 2013 formation of the Congressional STEAM Caucus in the 113^th Congress, co-chairs, Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Aaron Schock (R-IL) have led the charge for a federal focus on STEAM education, bringing it national attention.

Throughout 2014, there were several advancements for the STEAM field. First, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) launched a STEAM Map, which allows educators to upload their STEAM-focused projects and programs to be shared globally. Second, Ovation TV, launched the innOVATION Awards to recognize and fund successful STEAM programs. Lastly, a new, national initiative called the Innovation Collaborative launched. The goal of the collaborative is to network the arts sciences and humanities to provide research, policy, and effective practices for innovation learning.

To continue to receive updates, be sure to following the Innovation Collaborative on Twitter and Facebook to see the latest news for STEAM and Innovation Thinking.