Hmm, building an engaged community is really something that is difficult, so it's going to be more complex to figure out a solution for this problem.
One idea I have that might work to some extent could be to release a SteemSTEM SMT (once Steemit Inc. releases SMTs), where you could allow give the SteemSTEM posters the ability to hand out tokens to comments that contribute to the original post. This way people will be encouraged to actually engage in discussions and contribute with additional information in the comments.
There are probably a lot of flaws with the idea, but it was just something that popped into my head when I was reading your comment.
This idea is on the list, but as said by suesa, this will take time. Most probably mid or long term. For the short terms ideas, in an hour or so ^^
Yeah, it seems like SMTs are taking a lot longer for the Steemit Inc. team to develop than they had anticipated. But it will be exciting to see how you guys plan on using them once they are finally released. I think they can have a big impact on a community like SteemSTEM if used properly!
We have plenty of ideas, but without the SMTs really there, it is actually hard to get what is realistic and what is not. Anyways, we are staying tuned ^^
We've been planning to use SMTs since they were announced, but there's no sign yet that they might be available soon. And until they are, we need to find a different way to carry on, because it can't go on like it has. :/
I see why you are skeptical that SMTs will arrive anytime soon. They have been postponed many times already, so it's not really a certainty that we will get them anytime soon anymore..