I’m sure most of us have heard by now, but last week, scientists were able to take the first photograph of a black hole, one of the greatest cosmic phenomena in nature. And besides a few terrible, probably trolling, articles like this one, most of the general population was pretty astounded by the picture.

But it’s not always like this. Take the case of Timothy Ray Brown, a man at the center of one of the greatest accomplishments of modern medicine: he is the first person in history to be cured of HIV/AIDS. And if you’re arguing that this isn’t a fair case because it took place almost a decade ago, consider that news broke earlier last month about the second man to ever have his HIV/AIDS put in sustained remission, yet it was a footnote that barely, if at all, came up on our televisions or our timelines.

This isn’t just another article advocating that scientists and engineers should be our celebrities, because while that overly-idealistic sentiment is understandable, that just wouldn’t match up with our society’s values and ideas about entertainment. But we do need to make a change, at least on some level, about where STEM progress places on our list of priorities. And this change could happen here at NC State, a university that prides itself on its STEM programs.

The public’s perception of, and general interest in, science is important. As previously said, it sets the value of scientific endeavor in the eyes of the average citizen. Furthermore, it affects science’s survivability. When an agency like NASA (whose activities usually go unnoticed unless it’s extremely buzzworthy) has an accident that goes under the radar, certain lawmakers will use that as the perfect opportunity to cut funding without anyone noticing because it isn’t a priority.

Additionally, a society that cares more about STEM discoveries and places it higher than the wacky headline or the optimistic palette-cleanser headline at the end of the newscast will influence the next generation. When little kids at a young age see more advancements by STEM people, that’s a potential new scientist or engineer down the line.

Thus, on the subject of who could actually change this, it comes back to us. NC State touts all of its accomplishments in the STEM fields, like the College of Science having almost 400 ongoing projects and hundreds of graduated students. Add that on top of the fact that NC State basically sells itself as an engineering-first school, and we, more than most, have the right to tout our scientific accomplishments and make the news.

We should still celebrate the Game of Thrones season premieres and celebrity marriages and inevitable divorces, but there’s space there for something else. The entertainment and political sectors dominate news, social media and most people’s conversations, but the strides that humanity takes to better ourselves, many of which go nearly unnoticed, are nowhere near as prevalent. America should take the great accomplishments of the greatest minds much more seriously.