( CNN ) -- Editor 's note : Matt Walton a technology and engineering education teacher at Glen Allen High School in Henrico County , Virginia . He has a master 's degree in education and a bachelor of science degree in technology education from North Carolina State University . You might have noticed a recent TV commercial from Chevron Corp. showing a Chevron professional next to an eighth-grade student with a robot . The student describes the remote control robot , and the young Chevron professional talks about how a high school science teacher made him what he is today ( a geologist for Chevron ) . The next part of the commercial caught my attention , because in bold letters the words `` Science Rules '' flashed on the screen . While I agree that `` science rules , '' so does technology and engineering . What the ad is demonstrating is not science education , but rather the middle two letters of STEM - or science , technology , engineering and math - education . Often technology and engineering education is overlooked when people talk about STEM education or when governments make decisions about education policy . In last year 's State of the Union address , President Barack Obama called for adding `` 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science and technology and engineering and math . '' This call for new teachers was laudable , however , science and math education receive the majority of attention and support from universities , various levels of government and the public . One reason is because math and science are required classes throughout a student 's educational career , unlike technology and engineering . Additionally , as you examine the landscape of colleges and universities around the country , it 's easy to find a school where you can study to become a science or math teacher . Unfortunately , the same can not be said for technology and engineering education as many colleges and universities have cut their programs , and sadly so have some high and middle schools . Technology and engineering education is exhibited in many different ways when you look at that robot in the commercial . The physical appearance of the robot incorporates one of the main cornerstones of technology and engineering education : design . Design in technology and engineering education can come in various forms . One is digital design through digital photography and Photoshop to generate a treatment and produce a video . Another aspect covered in technology education classes focuses on engineering design by creating a more efficient shopping cart or a new blade design for a wind turbine . You can find many diverse concepts and principles in technology and engineering labs . Students can learn engineering principles such as aerodynamics through the creation of carbon-dioxide-powered cars . Students are able to explore aerospace engineering by building complex rockets and simple rubberband-powered planes that can stay in the air for minutes . Students learn principles of chemical engineering when they make bioplastics and biofuels . When you look at the robot in the commercial , you can see design in the way that the robot is built and how the parts of the robot interact with one another to achieve the goals of the creator . Here the examples of engineering become glaring and are even highlighted by the student . The fact that the student has four servo motors on the robot and not three , five or six demonstrates that the student used engineering concepts to determine the amount of lift , torque and speed needed to achieve the most efficient robot . If you were to walk into a high school technology and engineering class , the first thing you will notice is a lab full of busy students working diligently on projects and creating things . Students are often excited to learn because they can express their creativity and apply what they are reading about and taking notes on in other classes . Through project-based learning , students gain knowledge in different areas of technology and engineering , much of which reinforces what they have learned from their science and math teachers . And science , technology , engineering and math , or STEM education has an important economic impact as well . According to a July report by the U.S Department of Commerce , STEM-related jobs are projected to grow by 17 % by 2018 , compared with 9.8 % for non-STEM professions . Additionally , even in the midst of the Great Recession , STEM joblessness has been almost half of non-STEM jobs . While the unemployment for non-STEM jobs topped out around 10 % , STEM jobs never cracked the 6 % mark . As a country we need to focus on improving in all areas of science , technology , engineering and math education if we are to succeed in creating and competing for the jobs that will be prevalent in the decades to come . However , it 's vital to our nation and to our students not to overlook the `` T and E '' in STEM . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Matt Walton .
Matt Walton is a science and engineering education teacher in California . He believes that science and math often get more attention than technology and engineering . He argues that it 's vital to the nation to not overlook the ` ` A & E '' in STEM education .