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George Mason University’s Padmanabhan (Padhu) Seshaiyer is one of 10 people named to the new Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board that will advise Gov. Ralph Northam.
“You always want to make a difference,” said Seshaiyer, a professor of mathematical sciences and the director of the STEM Accelerator Program within the College of Science. “What a great way to impact the entire commonwealth.”
House Bill 2058, which was sponsored by Shelly A. Simonds (D-Newport News), created the Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Board “to create a unified state vision regarding STEM education initiatives, language and measures of success to promote a culture of collaboration for STEM programming in the commonwealth.”
The board is also tasked with developing the infrastructure needed to create STEM regional hubs and STEM champions across the state. The board will report annually to the governor and the General Assembly on STEM challenges, goals and successes throughout Virginia.
Seshaiyer said he welcomed the opportunity to use STEM to help Virginians in a meaningful way.
“I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to think about STEM in a number of different ways,” he said, “and not just in one context. We’ll use it and add more diversity and we’ll use it to assist real people in the problems they face. That makes it much more personal to me.”