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

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.

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.

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.

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.