Important contributors to economic prosperity include innovation and entrepreneurship. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are powering innovation that creates new business, products, and services in the United States. As a result, the strength of the U.S. economy rests heavily on the ability to educate future generations in STEM fields and to place them in STEM occupations distributed across a wide range of industries. The demand for STEM workers in the U.S. across industries is expected to grow faster than other occupations in the next decade. Workforce projections for the U.S. Department of Labor show that nine of the 10 fastest-growing occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree will require significant scientific or mathematical training (Hill, Crobett, and Rose, ).