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.

Pi in STEM Dreams vernacular stands for Parental Involvement. We created the STEM “Pi Guide” for parents who want to guide their students along the STEM pipeline but aren’t sure how.

Every kid can benefit from exposure to STEM subjects. And every parent can become more involved as a STEM gatekeeper. Yes, even those parents who were scared of science, technology, engineering and math as a kid.

Try our guide. It’s short and concise. And it’s FREE. Get your guide today.

Photo credit: Image by 445693 from Pixabay

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.

Subscribe to this podcast so you don’t miss next month’s show. Share this post on social media.

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.

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.

The biggest gaps in performance appear when they looked at the racial and socioeconomic standings on the test takers. In other words: “larger gaps exist between students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds or family income, with white and Asian/Pacific Islander students and those from higher income families scoring higher than their counterparts who are black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaska Native or who are from lower income families.” [National Girls Collaborative Project]

The NSF study says that K-12 students who come from a poor background and/or whose parents were less educated were not likely to take the classes that help them do better on these tests. This sets these students up for not being ready for a STEM career, in the long run.