The ancient Egyptian city of Memphis was a port city with an island nestled in the Nile Valley. It bustled with industry, innovation and the ambitious people those qualities attract—and now its namesake in Tennessee is living up to that reputation. If you’re looking to attend college for a STEM-related major, advances in STEM education make Memphis a city on the cutting edge. Whether you’re just starting your career or are eager to expand an already successful business, Memphis is home to the professionals you’ll want to connect with.
Being a future-oriented city means starting early. Building upon the fact that Tennessee has sought to step up the quality and accessibility of STEM education at the primary and secondary levels, Memphis has made some contributions of its own. Indeed, two Shelby County schools—Maxine Smith STEAM Academy and Whitehaven Elementary School—are now designated as STEM schools by the state, while the Memphis Virtual STEM Academy invites talented high-schoolers from around the county to study with teachers who have engineering degrees and access to laboratory facilities.
Efforts such as these are designed to make the transition to college-level STEM studies a smooth one, but there is also a need to facilitate the move from college to the working world. With this in mind, the University of Memphis partnered with the National Science Foundation to create MemphiSTEM, a program that offers STEM majors academic support, provides research and networking opportunities, helps students remain in rigorous majors and works to ensure that such students graduate with job prospects in hand.
Manufacturing, logistics and shipping have always been a core focus of port city economics, which is something the Tennessee and Egyptian iterations of Memphis have in common. With an increasingly automated manufacturing sector to contend with, the Bluff City’s workforce will need new engineers and analysts to keep up with today’s need for efficiency. What’s more, businesses following the lead of nationwide and even global companies that have established hubs in Memphis will need STEM majors’ assistance to meet logistical and technological challenges with elegant and innovative solutions.
If you’re looking for a STEM-related job in Memphis, chances are good that someone’s looking for you—and if you’re interested in earning a STEM degree, Memphis is a great place to do it.
