Cambio embraces the notion that STEM is both a cultural endeavor and a component of culture. This assumption is a shift from the view that STEM is agnostic, neutral, or separate from culture. With this in mind, Cambio encourages museum practitioners to examine both dominant and non-dominant norms of STEM, recognizing that these are not binary—instead, they exist on a spectrum, across many dimensions of diversity. As we consider Who, What, When, Where, Why and How STEM is practiced in the world, we can begin to expand our ideas about who is an expert and where and how they engage with science, math, and engineering concepts in their lived experience.
The Cambio STEM Identity Balance provides a way to consider personal and organizational orientations and norms around STEM. Engaging in dialogue with colleagues about our assumptions about STEM and how we portray and practice those assumptions in our museums can help us begin to adopt a more culturally expansive and inclusive view of STEM–both what it is and how (and by whom) it is practiced in everyday life.
