What is STEM? STEM is a term used to describe a group of related professions: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Why STEM Dreams? Some kids dream of becoming sports superstars. Some (believe it or not) dream of becoming scientists, technologists, engineers, or mathematicians. Read about the people behind STEM Dreams.

Today’s guest: Daren Williams, P.E., civil engineer, father, and husband

His STEM bio: In 2002, Daren Williams completed his undergraduate studies at the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Ocean Engineering. He was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Navy at the USNA graduation. While on active duty, he earned his Surface Warfare Officer pin, deployed on the USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3) to the Persian Gulf, and graduated Naval Nuclear Power School. His last tour was on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) where he served as the Refueling Complex Overhaul Division Officer. He earned a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia while serving on the USS Carl Vinson. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked as an Engineer III for the City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Utilities. He currently works as a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Movable Bridges Engineering Manager. He’s a native of Los Angeles, California and graduated from Susan Miller Dorsey High School in June 1997.

Read Daren’s full bio here (PDF).

Show Notes: In this episode, Linda talks with Daren about the choices he had to make during engineering school and after he graduated. He discusses his initial roles in leadership and engineering project management while in the Navy, as well as engineering positions he’s had since leaving service.

Towards the end of the chat, Daren stresses the importance of having a strong math foundation, a strong Christian faith, and connections in engineering organizations.

Math literacy and self-efficacy are pivotal in a person’s ability to persist in STEM and have success. Self-efficacy is a fancy term that means “I believe I can do this task” or “With consistent practice, I believe I can get better and stronger even though I’m not that strong now”. In laymen terms, this is called building your math muscle.

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Acronyms from this episode:

PE or P.E. stands for professional engineer. It’s a designation used by engineers who have passed the FE exam (see above) AND have practiced engineering for a number of years (normally under another PE) AND passed a rigorous all-day exam specific to their discipline of practice. The PE exam is formally called the Principles and Practices of Engineering Exam. Licensed PE are required to become registered in the state or states in which they practice.

FE or F.E. exam stands for the fundamentals of engineering exam. This is an all-day exam that covers a wide range of topics including mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering economics, and a wide range of general engineering topics. Once a person has passed this exam, they are considered an engineering intern (EI) or engineer in training (EIT).

ASCE stands the American Society of Civil Engineers. It is a professional engineering organization for civil and environmental engineers (with or without their PE license).

ASSP stands for the American Society for Safety Professionals.

Here’s a link of engineering organizations and societies in the United States.

Here’s a list of engineering colleges and schools in the US.

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.