E3: Nevada's "Desert Pipeline" to STEM
Enriching Explorations in Engineering (E3 ) is a "Desert Pipeline" to Engineering in STEM education. It is built to expand access to high-quality technical education and strengthen Nevada's skilled workforce by reaching students in communities where STEM resources and opportunities have been limited. Through research and experiential learning grounded in real-world challenges, E3 prepares students in grades 7–12 for STEM trades, careers, and service in the armed forces — with instruction designed to be relevant and responsive to the students and communities it serves.
E3 treats community impact and leadership as integral to STEM rather than additions to it, equipping students to apply technical skill in service of their neighborhoods and to lead the next generation of innovators. As an advocate for STEM education across the community, E3 builds public awareness — including education on the evolving role of AI in STEM — and convenes educators, nonprofits, and businesses through networking events that surface shared goals and turn common ground into coordinated action to grow STEM and expand investment in it across the state.
E3 treats community impact and leadership as integral to STEM rather than additions to it, equipping students to apply technical skill in service of their neighborhoods and to lead the next generation of innovators. As an advocate for STEM education across the community, E3 builds public awareness — including education on the evolving role of AI in STEM — and convenes educators, nonprofits, and businesses through networking events that surface shared goals and turn common ground into coordinated action to grow STEM and expand investment in it across the state.
Building Nevada's STEM Pipeline
Nevada is one of the fastest-diversifying economies in the country. As the state expands beyond tourism into advanced manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, aerospace, and clean energy, it is creating thousands of high-quality careers — and a homegrown workforce ready to fill them is what will carry that growth forward.
STEM is at the center of that future. Nevada's Governor's Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) reports that STEM careers pay a wage premium of nearly 50% over comparable non-STEM work, with strong, family-sustaining pathways at every level of education — from four-year degrees to industry credentials, skilled trades, and service in the armed forces. These opportunities are multiplying. Nevada's STEM jobs are projected to grow 26.5%, outpacing the 18.6% growth rate for non-STEM jobs, adding tens of thousands of new positions across the state.
The key to connecting students with those careers is early, hands-on exposure. Research consistently shows that students who explore STEM in middle and high school are far more likely to pursue it later. However, not every student gets that first "spark", especially in communities where STEM programming is harder to come by. By bringing real-world STEM to students in grades 7–12, E3 builds the earliest links in Nevada's talent pipeline, turning curiosity into capability and capability into careers.
The need for students to have opportunities and resources in STEM education extends well beyond Nevada. Nationally, STEM talent has become central to America's economic strength, innovation, and competitiveness on the global stage. Every student who discovers STEM early is part of how the nation meets that demand. That is the future E3 is helping to build — one student and one opportunity at a time.
References:
Governor's Office of Science, Innovation and Technology. (n.d.-a). About. State of Nevada. Retrieved 2026, from https://www.osit.nv.gov
National Science Board. (2024). The state of U.S. science and engineering 2024 (NSB-2024-3). National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243
National Science Board. (2026). The state of U.S. science and engineering 2026 (NSB-SEP-2026-1). National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsbsep20261
STEM is at the center of that future. Nevada's Governor's Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) reports that STEM careers pay a wage premium of nearly 50% over comparable non-STEM work, with strong, family-sustaining pathways at every level of education — from four-year degrees to industry credentials, skilled trades, and service in the armed forces. These opportunities are multiplying. Nevada's STEM jobs are projected to grow 26.5%, outpacing the 18.6% growth rate for non-STEM jobs, adding tens of thousands of new positions across the state.
The key to connecting students with those careers is early, hands-on exposure. Research consistently shows that students who explore STEM in middle and high school are far more likely to pursue it later. However, not every student gets that first "spark", especially in communities where STEM programming is harder to come by. By bringing real-world STEM to students in grades 7–12, E3 builds the earliest links in Nevada's talent pipeline, turning curiosity into capability and capability into careers.
The need for students to have opportunities and resources in STEM education extends well beyond Nevada. Nationally, STEM talent has become central to America's economic strength, innovation, and competitiveness on the global stage. Every student who discovers STEM early is part of how the nation meets that demand. That is the future E3 is helping to build — one student and one opportunity at a time.
References:
Governor's Office of Science, Innovation and Technology. (n.d.-a). About. State of Nevada. Retrieved 2026, from https://www.osit.nv.gov
National Science Board. (2024). The state of U.S. science and engineering 2024 (NSB-2024-3). National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243
National Science Board. (2026). The state of U.S. science and engineering 2026 (NSB-SEP-2026-1). National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsbsep20261
Exploring Gaming in Education
What if the games students love could open the door to STEM careers? In Las Vegas — a city built on gaming and entertainment — E3 is exploring the powerful intersection of gaming, eSports, and STEM education. After two years of learning at the eSports Travel Summit, we're bringing fresh thinking home: using the world students already know as a gateway to real technical skill and opportunity.
[Read more about E3's exploration of gaming & STEM on the About Us subpage.]
[Read more about E3's exploration of gaming & STEM on the About Us subpage.]