Businesses, nonprofits take STEM to next level
More than 500 future scientists, developers, engineers and mathematicians rolled up their sleeves and immersed themselves in a day of lab activities followed by a career expo at a recent symposium at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk.
The event, which was funded by the Carver Foundation of Norwalk Inc. and hosted by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, invited professionals from 20 businesses and four organizations to engage students in their respective fields.
About 200 students gathered in the morning to build robots, fuel cell-powered cars and wind turbines. They also learned about marine animals and dissected aquatic wildlife. In the afternoon, 300 middle and high school students from the Norwalk area joined the Brien McMahon students for a STEM-related career expo as they engaged in conversations with professionals at 20 exhibits.
With a national emphasis on STEM ”” science, technology, engineering and math ”” businesses and nonprofits are joining forces to expose students to science- and math-driven career opportunities. The event was one way the community and secondary schools are collaborating to introduce students to the four major fields that are in high demand.
“STEM is one of those things that are so in demand with Connecticut businesses,” said Judy Resnick, CBIA education foundation co-partner. “We want our students to find good jobs and earn good wages. But these are the few jobs that require you to have a solid foundation in science and math. Many careers in high paying jobs involve science and math, and we want to make sure students are interested and able to be successful.”
On the higher education level, CBIA has partnered with guidance counselors and educators to create as many bridges and pathways from high school to college as possible, further streamlining the track that allows students to pursue a STEM education. Often, students have flexible course loads that allow them to avoid classes like physics, computer science, engineering and calculus.
Tarek Sobh, University of Bridgeport”™s dean of engineering and senior vice president for graduate studies and research, plus a father of four school-aged children in Shelton, said schools, nonprofits and businesses play a vital role in preparing students for STEM-related careers. But he said instilling a desire to pursue science and math begins at home.
Sobh”™s oldest son, Omar, a Shelton High School graduate, majors in neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania. His daughter, Haya, a current Shelton High student, is interested in becoming a physician. And his two youngest, fourth and third graders at Shelton Elementary School, are intrigued by technology (or that”™s what he likes to think when they play with his gadgets).
As a science-conscious parent, Sobh said he is lucky because all he has to do is encourage his children to tag along while he”™s on the job.
“My kids have seen what I”™ve been doing for years,” Sobh said. “Since they were little, I took them to my robotics lab on campus, and I let them play around with the machinery. Sometimes, I go to conferences and they tag along, so they hear what I present.”
Admitting his situation is different, Sobh nonetheless urged parents to support their children”™s STEM curiosities, perhaps leading them to jobs ranked by the Department of Labor Statistics as among the highest paying.
Two Greenwich parents, Camilla Gazal and Flavia Naslausky, recently opened Zaniac, an after-school franchise in Greenwich last December, which provides STEM-related programs that run six weeks each. Classes range from chess to computer programming and meet after school on weekdays and Saturdays. They are capped at five children and taught by trained instructors.
Since mid-December, Zaniac has enrolled more than 150 students. The most popular programs include computer programming, followed by Minecraft Exploration, a computer game that rewards cooperative building behaviors, and LEGO Robotics. The business also provides a Zane Math program that aligns with Connecticut”™s common core standards.
With enough exposure to STEM-related curriculum, students develop an affinity for the courses, Naslausky said. Demand for more STEM programs has been coming straight from the children in her classroom, she added.
“On snow days, we had kids organizing their own play dates here at Zaniac and around structured STEM activities,” Naslausky said.
One experience that gave Naslausky and Gazal confidence that students are growing interested in STEM was when students at Zaniac created a LEGO robotic solar-powered panel and positioned it in front of Zaniac”™s office.
“They were very keen on generating power to lower Zaniac”™s electricity bills,” Naslausky said.
Parents are already signing up for Zaniac”™s summer boot camp, a six-week course that gives students a taste of each of its programs: math, robotics, chess, computer programming and touch typing. Gazal said students from almost every elementary, middle and private school in Greenwich are represented in Zaniac”™s programs. The Post Road West business has also attracted students from nearby communities in Westchester County, N.Y.