How GE Turned to Comic Books to Hook Young Engineering Talent
In response to the lack of student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the White House has launched the Educate to Innovate campaign. There is also the National STEM Video Game Challenge, where kids learn STEM skills by designing games. GE has some experience experimenting with play and fun in an effort to attract young minds to science and engineering.
Read more at GE Reports.
i am a mechanical engineer. naw a day i am a lactrer in engg. institute. i am intrested in your resurch.
Hi Pawan,
For mechanical engineering jobs please see: http://jobs.gecareers.com/search?q=mechanical+engineer
Good luck!
What goes around comes around! I interviewed for two positions in Schenectady in early 1947. One was with Dwight VanAvery writing comic books about GE science for distribution to high schools, to help lead students to science, and of course to GE. I actually joined the General News Bureau at that time, and retired in l985.
Your commic plan is great. However, why not make it easier to get and view the materials to show other’s in school Math & Science programs in middle school?
Thank you for your comment John!
Hi Mike,
Comics aren’t the only way we help students in school. Check out our $18 million investment in common core standards: http://careers.geblogs.com/common-core-state-standards-receives-largest-corporate-investment-to-date-with-ge-foundation-18-million-commitment/
Thanks for your comment!
John Lightner’s comment, which mentioned my Dad, brought back many fond memories of his GE career in Educational Communications. This small group, established in 1945, created and distributed educational publications without charge to students across the country, encouraging them to consider careers in science and engineering.
GE’s pioneering instructional comic books were tremendously popular. According to an article in the June ’56 Monogram, nearly 50 million of them had been distributed as of that date. The article also notes: “Approximately 75 percent of the students now completing their high school education in the United States have, at one time or another, during their junior or senior high school careers, read some of these.”
By 1963, according to my Dad’s records, GE had distributed more than 81 million copies of 15 different educational comic books, several of which were translated into foreign languages. I have copies of “Inside the Atom” translated into Arabic and Urdu.
GE’s Educational Relations group produced a variety of other student publications, as well as classroom wall charts. A lengthy article in the June 1953 Monogram (probably impossible to obtain) provides details.