Today’s guest: Neil Thompson, engineer, author and ‘teacher of geeks’

Guest bio: Neil Thompson is an entrepreneur, children’s book author, and patent agent. For years, he worked as a product development engineer in the medical device industry. He started the online platform Teach the Geek to help scientists and engineers with non-technical skills that often get overlooked. His first target? Public speaking. The first offering of the platform, Teach the Geek to Speak, is the online course to help with public speaking.

His children’s book, Ask Uncle Neil: Why is my hair curly? is about his nephew asking him why his hair is the way it is and Neil uses science to answer the question. The goal of the book is to encourage more Black kids to consider careers in STEM.

Show notes: In this episode, Neil and Linda talk about the importance of parents as STEM gatekeepers. Neil points out ways that parents can recognize and foster a child’s natural curiosity about science and the world around them.

Neil shares insights in an article in eSchool News. It’s entitled “Surefire Ways to make Science Relevant to Students. Check it out here: https://www.eschoolnews.com/steam/2024/10/02/surefire-way-make-science-relevant-to-students/

What do you think? Drop your comments below.

Purchase Neil Thompson’s book at AskUncleNeil.com. The site has testimonials from other parents. And it’s geared toward elementary school ages and has a STEM message. It would make a great gift.

Also, you can check out the Teach the Geek Podcast on several outlets online. Subscribe and rate on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube Follow @teachthegeek and @_teachthegeek on IG

Visit the Teach the Geek website today.

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Parents, you don’t have to be a STEM guru (or a homeschool parent) to do science activities with your kids. Studies show that children who do tinker with science (and STEM stuff) at home do better in science in school and build important life skills like patience and confidence.

While you do the activity remember these objectives:

• Build science literacy: learn and use the STEM words that the activity uses
• Promote a growth mindset: if you mess up, it’s okay to keep trying
• Involve everyone: take turns and let ALL family members contribute
• Have fun: STEM can be fun (not fussy) and stress-free; remember to laugh at your mistakes

Below, check out the list of blogs and online resources that are designed to help parents do science activities at home with their families. You might even find that you like it. Don’t focus on getting everything “right” and don’t worry about the mess. STEM can be messy sometimes.

• The STEM laboratory
• Teachers are Terrific
• Momgineer
• The Maker Mom
• Smore
• Little Bins for Little Hands
• Home Science Tools

That’s it for now. There are lots more. Some of the activities can take some time to prep for (for example, creating a STEM escape room). Make the prep part of the experience. In other words, everyone helps prep (not just the parents).

Remember, have fun and keep dreaming big.

Guest Bio:
Sandra Stepney is a 1983 graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Sandra began her engineering career with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in January 1984 and progressed her career in the Roadway Design Unit through 2007. In 2010, Sandra began working with the NCDOT Rail Division in various engineering and management positions, until retiring in 2018. After retirement from NCDOT, Sandra began working in the private engineering sector with Simpson Engineers & Associates. Sandra is a Professional Engineer licensed in North Carolina and a Certified Public Manager. Sandra currently serves on the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) Industry Advisory Board at North Carolina State University.

Show notes:
Sandra talks about being a woman civil engineer in a male-dominated field. She is likely the first African American woman to get a professional engineers (PE) license in the state of North Carolina. She’s worked as a civil engineer for the state Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and now works as a consulting engineer for a private engineering company in the Raleigh, NC area.

Sandra is a wife of a pastor and the mother of two grown children. She talks about her family, her love of math, and support from her math-teacher mom and her high school guidance counselor. We know that family support is so key to helping kids see themselves as STEM professionals. Growing up, she didn’t know anything about the connections between math and engineering. Her guidance counselor did, though, and encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone to attend a pre-engineering program at NC State in the late 1970s. Another key to her finding her path was interning as a high student at an engineering company. It helped her gain experience and she also earned money during the summers. It was a win-win.

“You can learn anything that is put before you,” Sandra shared. “You might not like the subject but you have to give it [your] attention.” She stresses the importance of pushing through difficulties and being well-rounded. Engineering should not be a scary word, she explained. “An engineer is a person who likes to create.” She didn’t let the hard subjects stop her from reaching her dreams. She credits her faith in God for a lot of her career development as a female engineer.

Do you have something you’d like to add? Leave a comment. Or leave us a voice message.

Check Out These STEM Dreams Resources:

• STEM Dream Activity Book for Kids
• STEM@home list

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.

Guest Bio:
Major Crandall is a native of Hertford, North Carolina and has nine siblings. He attended North Carolina State University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Math. Upon graduating in 2003, he enlisted in the Army Reserves. After a short period with 982nd Signal Company Wilson, NC he enlisted in the Regular Army.

His initial active duty assignment was as a Video Telecommunication Technician with 2nd Infantry Division G6, South Korea. It was during this two-year assignment that his Non-Commissioned Officer leader encouraged him to apply for Office Candidate School. He was accepted and subsequently commissioned into the Army’s Signal Corps in 2007.

Following his commissioning, Captain Crandall deployed to Camp Phoenix Afghanistan where he served as a platoon leader with the 278th Signal Company 160th Signal Brigade and later as aid de camp, with duty in Kuwait. During a second deployment to Kuwait, he commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company 335th Signal Command Provisional, Camp Arifjan Kuwait, responsible for leading 120 Soldiers providing strategic communications services across Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Army Meritorious Unit Award; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal Campaign Medal (one Service Star); Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War On Terrorism Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; and NATO Medal.

Show Notes
There’s more to the Major than his official Army bio. Listen to the podcast to get to know about his phenomenal story from humble beginnings in rural Hertford, North Carolina to NC State and beyond.

Elizabeth City State University is one of many HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) in the United States.

Systems engineering is a branch of engineering that can be found in various industries and sectors, including the armed forces. Systems engineers help design systems that reduce waste and improve processes.

Major Crandall talks about doing the most with every opportunity you’ve been given in life, and not underestimating the power of encouragement to lift others up.

Do you have something you’d like to add? Leave a comment. Or leave us a voice message.

Check Out These STEM Dreams Resources:

• STEM Dream Activity Book for Kids
• STEM@home list

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.

It contains a month’s worth of hands-on STEM activities with a profile of a STEM professional. You’ll enjoy the family-friendly fun but so will your pocket book. Most of the “kitchen science” experiments can be done with materials you already have on hand. STEM at home does not have to be expensive.

You can purchase it on Amazon as a paperback.

These include online STEM camps via Zoom, WebEx, and the like, as well as resources like virtual reality platforms offered by VEX robotics.

Other resources include:

• Using STEM resources through your public library
• Scientific American: Education
• Exploratorium: Tinkering @ Home
• https://www.thetechathome.org/activities
• The STEM Dreams “Home STEM Center”
• The STEM Dreams Resources List

Do you have something you’d like to add? Leave a comment. Or leave us a voice message.

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.

Guest bio: Neil Thompson is an entrepreneur, children’s book author, and patent agent. For years, he worked as a product development engineer in the medical device industry. He started the online platform Teach the Geek to help scientists and engineers with non-technical skills that often get overlooked. His first target? Public speaking. The first offering of the platform, Teach the Geek to Speak, is the online course to help with public speaking.

His children’s book, Ask Uncle Neil: Why is my hair curly? is about his nephew asking him why his hair is the way it is and Neil uses science to answer the question. The goal of the book is to encourage more Black kids to consider careers in STEM.

Show notes: In this episode, Neil talked about his inspiration for his podcast geared toward teaching technically minded people how to be better public speakers and communicators. He even developed courses around this topic.

We also talked about his passion for introducing STEM topics to children. The earlier the better. STEM careers introduce innovation in the world. Unfortunately, very few kids of color are involved in STEM and miss out on being involved in innovative jobs. Neil wants to change that. His first book (Ask Uncle Neil: Why is my hair curly?) is his attempt at changing that.

In the show intro and outro, Claude and I (Linda) talk about what STEM role models and mentors should look like in black communities. What do you think? Drop your comments below.

Purchase Neil Thompson’s book at AskUncleNeil.com. The site has testimonials from other parents. And it’s geared toward elementary school ages and has a STEM message. It would make a great gift.

Also, you can check out the Teach the Geek Podcast on several outlets online. Subscribe and rate on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube Follow @teachthegeek and @_teachthegeek on IG

Visit the Teach the Geek website today.

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.

Guest Bio:  Juan Fuentes graduated from UNC Charlotte in the Fall of 2014 with a degree in Systems & Industrial Engineering and Mathematics. Upon graduation, he started working for CTL Packaging, USA as a Project Engineer for cosmetic plastic packaging clients like L’Oreal, and Alba Botanica. For a brief period right after graduation, he worked with Dilliard’s Corporation. Juan then transitioned to work for Duke Energy as a Jr. Project Manager for the Coal Ash Basin Closure Projects before finding his way to working at Coca-Cola Consolidated as a Manufacturing & Production Analyst for Bishopville and Nashville Production. His work with Coca-Cola Consolidated has expanded in his role with Product Supply by working with Production Planning, as well as implementing data analytics during extended downtimes, and out-of-source optimization.

Juan enjoys spending time with his wife Kayla and three-year old Cockapoo, Remi. You can find him watching sports, running through the City of Charlotte, cooking, playing music, or traveling, he is a Colombia-born native, raised in Miami, FL and has been living in Charlotte, NC for the last 12 years.

Show notes: I (Linda) met Juan when he was an undergrad engineering student at UNC Charlotte. While working towards his degree, he also worked as an Orientation Counselor or “OC” during university orientation. Orientation is a program offered by a college or university to help new students and their families make a smooth transition from high school to college life.

Juan mentions bringing your genuine self to your STEM field. This can be challenging because of the stigmas attached to being a student studying STEM topics. What do you think this mean to you as a student?

Here’s a link to the Pew Research I shared in the introduction: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/09/7-facts-about-the-stem-workforce/

He also talks about what it means to be a systems (or industrial) engineer. Here’s more about this relatively new STEM field of study:

• From NASA
• From YouTube
• From ICOSE, International Council of System Engineering

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.

Show notes: Rosalyn graduated from NC State University with a BS in Materials Engineering with an emphasis in metallurgical engineering. She worked in this field for seven years until getting laid off.

She was able to pivot to a career as a civil engineering project manager with the State of Florida, where she had to learn about the environment and land use impacts in and around the Everglades. Rosalyn has been in this role for over 23 years. She’s living proof that engineers and engineering are flexible.

I (Linda) met Rosalyn when I was a college freshman. Since I was a minority and first-generation college student, I was assigned a mentor to show me the ropes of student life and help me survive the college of engineering. Rosalyn did these things and so much more.

She also talks about the importance of getting involved with engineering student organizations as well as being a mentor and finding a mentor, especially as a minority student new to the college experience.

What to look for in a STEM mentor:

• Relevant experience in STEM
• A listening ear
• Objective perspective
• Tactful honesty
• Servant leadership
• Encouraging and fun personality

Terminology mentioned in this episode:

• HBCU which stands for historically black colleges and universities
• NSBE, pronounced “nezbie”, which stands for National Society of Black Engineers
• SWE, pronounced “swee”, which stands for Society of Women Engineers
• ASCE, American Society of Civil Engineers

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.

Show notes: Braska Williams is the NC MSEN Pre-College Program Coordinator at NC State University in Raleigh, NC. MSEN stands for Math Science Education Network, which is a state-wide pre-college STEM program for middle and high school students. Your state or region might have something similar to foster the pursuit of STEM careers among K-12 students.

Myrna is a work-at-home mom. Their two girls have both chosen to pursue STEM studies in college. The oldest, Martia (Tia, for short) is studying Math Education. And the youngest, Breeyonna (AKA Bree) is planning on pursuing an engineering degree in Fall 2020.

During this month’s episode, we discuss your child’s destiny and the role that you can plan in helping guide them through career preparation and selection. This is key for both STEM and non-STEM career exploration.

Exposing children to a variety of experiences from an early age is important. This kind of exploration doesn’t have to be boring or expensive. One of the Williams’ family’s favorite early memories was a trip to a children’s museum in Charleston, SC.

Things to try together include:

• Visit childrens’ museums. Check out this list from Mommy Nearest.
• Get each person in the family a public library card. Most libraries have free STEM-centric programming and reading challenges for children, especially during the summer months.
• Explore free online resources. Websites like Makerspace.com and Instructables have STEM-focused activities for all ages and skill levels (including kid+parent teams).
• Have a regular family night. Play board games. Experiment with new recipes. Get to know each other better.
• Plan a family trip together. Start small and make it a goal to do a trip each year.

Other terms mentioned in this episode:

• Future Cities
• First Robotics Lego(R) League

You might also find help on our resources page. Subscribe and download our free STEM Dreams Parent Guide. Contrary to popular belief, your kids’ STEM Dreams don’t have to be expensive. And oh yeah, STEM stuff is not just for boys.

Interested in setting up a mini STEM center (makerspace) in your home? Download this checklist.

Help spread the word:
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know in the comments below. Do you have questions? Use the contact form to reach out to us.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast; we release an episode each month.

Show Sponsor:

STEM Dreams podcast is sponsored by Wildlands Engineering, a water resources engineering firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wildlands is dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering and environmental sciences like geology and ecology.

Wildlands, thank you for helping us help the next generation of STEM dreamers.

Credits: Show sound effects and music was sourced from FreeSound.org.