2. a. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and the Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology, shall develop and administer an outreach program to encourage young women and minorities to pursue post-secondary degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

b. The department, in developing and administering the outreach program, shall:

(1) provide elementary and secondary school students, especially young women and minorities, with opportunities to increase their exposure to the STEM field;

(2) distribute various printed materials to schools, encouraging young women and minorities to pursue post-secondary degrees and careers in STEM;

(3) organize and conduct mentoring sessions, in which individuals working or pursuing a post-secondary degree in the STEM field engage with elementary and secondary school students;

(4) establish a mentoring program that partners STEM professionals and STEM post-secondary students with elementary and secondary school students;

(5) create programs to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty in STEM subject areas; and

(6) undertake any other activities the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education and the chair of the Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology, deems necessary to effectuate the purposes of the outreach program.

For purposes of this act, STEM shall include, but not be limited to, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

L.2021, c.239, s.2.