​The project Compassionate STEM Education seeks to support teachers to bring compassion into the STEM Higher Education classroom. In this newsletter, I describe four reasons why compassion is important in STEM Higher education.

In recent years, educators and researchers have increasingly recognized that technical expertise alone is not enough to prepare future scientists and engineers for the complex moral and social challenges of their professions. As concerns about well-being and ethical responsibility take on greater importance in STEM, particularly with the emergence of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, there is a growing need to embrace compassion as a guiding principle in how we teach and learn. Many students struggle with stress, isolation, and a sense of disconnection in highly competitive academic environments, while faculty often face increasing pressures to balance research productivity, teaching demands, and student support. Compassion helps build inclusive classroom environments, supports student belonging, and nurtures a reflective, human-centered mindset critical for responsible innovation and professional growth.​