1  Reach

Although there are similarities among STEM fields, the term “STEM” is more of a cohesive umbrella term for disparate systems rather than a uniform consensus. That is not to deny that there are fundamental concepts common among STEM fields, but rather to acknowledge both the diverse ways of how individuals in STEM fields think and work, but also the distinct and inter-related niches that STEM fields fill in society. This begs the question: Will a book on communication in STEM speak to – or even apply – to such a diverse audience?

There is no consensus on a demonym suffix for people working in STEM. Each very broad field within STEM has its own demonym — science is made up of scientists, technology by technologists, engineering by engineers, and mathematics by mathematicians. Regardless, we still find people asking “what science says” on a particular subject, not about “the scientific consensus”, or even “what scientists say”. This is a telling switch of words, which we’ll return to in the first chapters.

Of interest here is what to call this diverse set of people working in STEM. STEM folk has a nice ring to it, but a bit too colloquial for how important the role of those folk are in society. It’s the linguistic equivalent of Google’s primary colors and sans serif font logo. I have some affinity for STEMian, partly because -ian is the demonym for many nationalities (think Canadian, Italian, Indian), but also because it’s bears a humbling — and possibly discomforting — similarity to simian. I’ll use this term when referring to the broad area of people working in STEM.

Ideally, I would like that the target audience includes STEMians of all stripes. It is my intention and belief that the material herein are applicable to both a broad audience within STEM and diverse situations individuals will encounter, regardless of their specific field. I’m aware that a broad target audience may make this work unappealing, since it can’t possibly meet the specific communication challenges of all areas. Nonetheless, the communication challenges common among diverse STEM fields are numerous and offer a useful foundation. I encourage professors and trainers to use this foundation and elaborate on it for their own specific fields.