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.

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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.

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.

Her STEM bio: Dr. Woods is an international agricultural development professional who is skilled in agricultural extensions systems, both international and domestic; with proven capacity to work in practitioner and academic settings, as well as working with vulnerable and established populations as a facilitator, liaison, leader and educator.

She holds a PhD in International Extension Systems, Agriculture Leadership & Agriculture Education. Since the recording of this episode in February 2020, she was promoted to Interim Program Leader of Agriculture & Natural Resources at Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T State University. She has worked in agriculture in the US and various South American and Caribbean countries.

Show notes: In this episode, Linda talks with Dr. Woods about the role of her advisor/mentor in helping her choice her major (agriculture), which led to a three-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, working with coffee farmers on market access and trade.

They discuss a topic that some might think is taboo: black professionals in agriculture. Agricultural disciplines cover more than just farming and raising animals, as their discussion reveals.

Terms used include:
Cooperative extension was formerly known as agricultural extension. Read more about the Cooperative Extension System here.

Peace Corps was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, partly to help US citizens cultivate a better understanding of other people groups in the world.

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.