Learn how STEM is the 21st Century Social Equalizer – My Summary of Dr. Calvin Mackie’s Keynote Presentation at the recent sySTEMnow Conference

 By Maureen Haeger

We had the honor and privilege of hearing from Dr. Calvin Mackie at our recent 17th Annual sySTEMnow Conference as our keynote speaker discussing STEM: The 21st Century Social Equalizer. In case you missed it, I am sharing some of the key takeaways with you.

From the minute he began presenting, it was evident that Dr. Mackie is very passionate about exposing all children to STEM. He feels strongly that all children should have access to STEM activities, and as he put it, “It needs to be in an engaging hands-on way. They don’t want to look at STEM; they want to experience it.” He also believes we need to go to where the children are, not expect them to come to us. I found this very insightful, as did our audience.

Why does Dr. Mackie think that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is the great equalizer? As he stated, “STEM Jobs are growing 1.5 times faster than the rate of other jobs, and 50% of STEM jobs don’t require a 4-year degree.”

He reminded us that we need to reduce barriers to create equity in STEM to serve under-represented communities. Per Dr. Mackie, here are the current barriers:

Five Barriers:

1.     Awareness – Some children and parents do not know what STEM is; this is an issue!

2.     Relevance –STEM experience needs to be culturally and environmentally relevant to the community you are serving.

3.     Geography – STEM is not where the kids live. Many STEM outreach programs expect the kids to come to them; instead, we need to bring it to under-served communities.

4.     Financial – STEM outreach can be cost-prohibitive , so we have to figure out a cost-effective way to deliver STEM experiences to all children.

5.     Expertise – Most of these communities don’t have access to STEM expertise; how do we marshal expertise to these communities?

With the children we work with, we need to tell them yes. They need to believe we are committed to them and that they can be anything they want to be. How do we accomplish this? The STEM outreach program needs to be intentional, consistent, and relevant.

The sports analogy that Dr. Mackie gave us during his presentation hit home for me being the mom of three sons who have been very active in sports throughout their education. Dr. Mackie said, “We need to create the AAU of STEM. Get to the parents, make them aware of what is possible.” On a typical Saturday, he has 200 to 300 kids who show up for his STEM program. He recommends changing the narrative by treating STEM kids like athletes by celebrating them and allowing them to earn awards. Parents will seek out STEM programs when they see other kids getting something their kid doesn’t have. Eventually, parents will be fighting to get into these programs.

In closing, let’s make STEM equitable to all children! For those who were able to attend our 17th annual sySTEMnow Conference, we appreciate your time and engagement, and we ask you to complete the evaluation survey. For those that didn’t participate, please consider joining us next year.

As the major takeaway from the conference, ask yourself what you can do to help reach under-served children with STEM outreach programs and activities. Need more inspiration and ideas? Check out the work that Dr. Calvin Mackie is doing with STEM Nola by watching this video. We would be excited to partner with you in establishing equity in STEM! Learn more at stemforward.org.

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Maureen Haeger, Communications Manager, STEM Forward