Ep. 7 – Juan Fuentes on Bringing Your Whole Self to STEM

Linda Hargrove — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 02:40:53 +0000

Today’s guest: Juan Alfredo Fuentes

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

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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.

EP. 1 – Tiffani Teachey talks about being a Black female engineer and a children’s book author

Linda Hargrove — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Today’s guest: Tiffani Teachey, mechanical engineer and author

Her STEM bio: Tiffani Teachey is a Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) advocate, professional speaker, and author of the children’s book What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Masters of Science degree in Engineering Management, both from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As an engineer with more than fifteen years of experience, Tiffani has a passion for inspiring the next generation to engage in STEM careers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Tiffani was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, enjoys traveling and being a youth mentor.

Show Notes: In our first episode of the STEM Dreams podcast, we talk with Tiffani about what it took to prepare for engineering studies at UNC Charlotte, as well as her first 15 years of work as a mechanical engineer.

She emphasizes networking with professional organizations like Society of Women Engineers (SWE, pronounced ‘swee’) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE, pronounced ‘nezbee’).

Tiffani mentioned taking part in a math and science academy on Saturdays on Winston Salem State University’s campus. Check out WSSU’s Saturday Academy. Your local college or university might have something similar.

Other topics include mentoring the next generation, as well as perseverance and STEM readiness. She stresses the importance of parental involvement and support, even if the parents are not in a technical career themselves.

What parts did you enjoy about today’s show? What key points stood out? Please share in the comments below.

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Tiffani’s book is entitled What Can I Be: STEM Careers from A to Z. You can order the book from her site.

Praise for the book:

” Great book! The author has successfully highlighted STEM concepts in a way that makes it fun and interesting for kids! Even adults can get something out reading this book. Highly recommended!!”

Go get your copy.

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.