Making 2010 SEM Link's best year ever

The close of one year and the start of another one is the time for reflection for many people. We determine and make lists of the goals and plans we have for the new year with the intentions of completing them all in the upcoming year. I know I do that annually and most years I accomplish those things and some that weren't on the list, but I also fall short on completing some of them. So as 2010 approaches I want to share some of the things that we as an organization will focus on and the things I want to ask you to do in 2010.

Since our inception in 2005, SEM Link has exposed over 1000 Metro Atlanta youth to hands on activities and career exploration in math and science. We are very proud of our work, but in order to increase our impact as an organization we can't just focus on Metropolitan Atlanta. We have some initiatives that are going to focus on expanding our programs nationally and possibly internationally. In addition, we are going to look for ways to incorporate instructional technology and multimedia in our programming. In addition, we are working on building relationships with other organizations that have complementary mission to increase the impact we have on the students we serve. In addition, we are working on increase our corporate partnership and community relations so that we can have the resources that we need to achieve our mission. In addition, we want to expand our online community through our social media outlets such as this blog and our facebook page.

In order for all these goals and plans for 2010 and beyond to happen, we need everyone who supports and believes in SEM Link mission to put our organization in their goal and plans for 2010. Determine what you are going to do to support the organization or increase your level of support. Will you promote the organization by encouraging others to visit our website to find out more, follow our blog and became a fan of our Facebook page? Will you start making or increase your financial contribution to our "Donate Your Lunch Money" Individual Donor Campaign? If you are a business owner will you become a corporate partner? If work for a small, medium or large corporation, will you encourage your company to become a corporate partner and/or encourage your colleagues to donate or volunteer their time. It takes a village to educate a child and SEM Link needs to make that village larger in 2010. We have to make strides to create the pipeline for the future STEM workforce. Happy New Year. Make 2010 your best year ever. We are certainly expecting 2010 to be SEM Link's best year ever.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics on Television

My schedule doesn't always permit me to watch television. However, I do have a few shows that I enjoy when I want to wind down that I watch on hulu.com or on the website of the network that show airs on. As I think about the shows that I do like to catch up on the internet, most of them involve some real world application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I think that in what I feel is the decline of the quality of TV shows, we have an large amount of shows that showcase real world applications of STEM disciplines.

Two of my favorite are Better of Ted on ABC and Bones on Fox. Better of Ted is a comedy that features a food company that is constantly engaged in food science research doing some cutting edge research in genetic engineering. Bones is a show about a forensic anthropologist with her team of scientists that solve murders. There are the medical dramas that showcase breaking technology in biomedical research and medical treatment such as House, Private Practice, Trauma, Grey's Anatomy and Hawthorne. I was amazed a few weeks ago on Grey's Anatomy, when two doctors spend months creating a surgical instrument to treat child's medical condition because no instrument was available for them to perform a surgery to save this child's life. Then they are the CSI's, NCIS, the Closer and Criminal Minds which uses science and technology to solve crimes. One of the shows that has the most probably underrepresented STEM discipline although it connects all disciplines is NUMBERS on CBS in which a mathematics, who has his PHD in mathematics, who uses several mathematics theories and models to help the FBI solve crimes.

Although some of these shows aren't age appropriate for children. Those who are you should watch them with your children. Those that aren't let them see the commercial and discuss the careers and their impact on society with your children. We can't create the future STEM workforce, if our kids don't see STEM professionals they won't know these career exist. So since kids are watching TV anyway, use it as a career exploration tool.

The Interdisciplinary Nature of Science

Yesterday was the celebration of World AIDS's Day. I attended a wonderful and informative symposium at a local college and university. I was reminded about some facts that I already knew about the disease as well as learned some knew facts. I can tell you that we've come a long way since the disease was first discovered in 1981. One of the interesting things about this symposium is that it was an interdisciplinary symposium about the disease. It had a mixed of biomedical researchers, scientists, medical doctors, epidemiologists, behavioral scientists and film makers giving presentations about the detection, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

This symposium made me think of the future of science and engineering. Once upon a time, scientists and engineers were isolated in their research lab or plant and only talked to other scientist, their funders and occasionally when things in the lab went well a patent attorney. However, in the information age, scientist and engineers can no longer live in the isolation of their lab or plant. Not only do they have to talk to other scientists or engineers that may not be in their discipline; they are going to have to interact and collaborate with non scientist in order to have a successful career. In this symposium, I recognize that it is the scientists and engineers that lead the way in innovation. However, especially in the disease research and product development scientist and non scientist have to work together to improve our society and to prevent and treat diseases. As far as HIV/AIDS is concerned all the breakthrough in the lab concerning prevention, detection and treatment would have not gone beyond the lab if it wasn't for public health professionals, filmmakers, journalist, politicians and businessmen didn't get involved in getting the word out to the general public. I have a friend who works for corporation that produces consumers good and her job is to serve as an intermediate between research and development and marketing. Her company has the foresight to know that they can't produce quality good unless these two sides of the business collaborate.

So as we create the future STEM workforce, we must let them know that the workforce isn't just a collaboration between other scientists and engineers; but a collaboration between professional of all disciplines. So as they chart their path to pursue a STEM career, be sure to keep people in their network that aren't STEM professional. For that person may be the key to their ability to impact the world.

World AIDS Day on Tuesday December 1st

This Tuesday, December 1st is World AIDS Day (for more information visit the official website http://www.worldaidsday.org). I reflect upon first hearing about this disease when I was a child and when the thought that it was just a disease that just affected homosexual males. But when I think about the progression that science and engineering has had on the detection, prevention and treatment of this disease, I am amazed what great work biomedical researchers have made with this disease.

As far and detection and treatment, science has taught us that this disease has the potential to affect us all and is transmitted through several ways and how we can protect ourselves from getting the disease. I also remember when you first had to test for this disease only by blood and it took several days to get the test results. Now you can get tested for this disease with a rapid test from a mouth swab. We have truly come a long way.

Although, we have not yet to find a cure, we have made great strides in the treatment of this disease. I remember when getting HIV was a death sentence because there was no way to prevent it from progressing to full blown AIDS. Once you got full blown AIDS you were dead within a few years. However, breakthroughs in biomedical and pharmaceutical research have created drugs that not only prevent individual with HIV from getting full blown AIDS, but both those individuals with HIV and AIDS are living long healthy lives. Although Magic Johnson is a great example of this, I am sure that if you go to the world aids day website, you can find examples of everyday people who are living long lives with these disease.

But we have more research to conduct to improve treatment and find cures for this disease and other diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Cancer, Stroke, etc. I want to ensure that we have a future pipeline for biomedical research, so use this day to encourage K-12 and undergraduates to pursue careers in these fields. Let them know what a difference that science makes in our everyday lives because I am sure that even if no one in your family or network has been affected by this disease; they have been affected by another disease.

Thankful for the Opportunity to Make a Difference In the Lives of Youth

As I reflect upon all that I am thankful; SEM Link is one of those things I'm so thankful for. When I graduated from FAMU almost a decade ago, I knew that my career had to be bigger than what a career as a chemical engineer would allow me to contribute to this world. I wanted to have a career that was meaningful and make an impact on the lives of others. Of course I want to make a good living for myself, put I wanted to have a passion and purpose for earning income that was bigger than how much money I could make. Maybe it was because I was so blessed to have so many people who had no reason to do sol make an impact on my life and I thought that it was important for me to do the same for those coming behind me. I'm so happy with the career choices that I made and I wouldn't change my path for anything.

In the almost 6 years, since I have started to devote my time and talents to improving the math and science educational experiences for youth by creating and developing SEM Link I've been blessed beyond measure. Who would have thought that my desire to make a difference in the lives of children would allow me an opportunity to grow both personally and professional. It has also allowed other professionals, undergraduate and graduate students to grow personally and professionally. It has provided an unique opportunity for STEM professionals and students to volunteer in the area of their passion and expertise. But most importantly, I'm excited about us achieving our vision in the community of "unveiling potential through exposure". When we engage students in the activities hands on activities through our programs, we are truly enhancing their educational experience. I know that not all of the students that we touch through our programs will end up being a part of the future STEM workforce, but at least there are being exposed to STEM careers. They all may not get A's in math and science, but at least there are walking away understanding on more concept in math or science. I'm glad that we can provide that for our youth.

I'm also thankful to the SEM Link volunteers, board members, staff, corporate partners and individual donors. For without you, I wouldn't be able to make a difference in the lives of youth.

How Science, Engineering and Technology Enhance the Enjoyment of Our Holiday Season

I love the holidays, not that I don't have the opportunity to connect with family and friends throughout the year, but there is something special about having the freedom for even if it is Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year's Eve, only enjoying good times and good food with your loved ones. As a science educator, I am always looking for ways to teach people that math and science is connected to our everyday lives, so as I am making my own preparations for the holidays, I am thinking how various innovations in science and technology improved our ability to enjoy the holidays.

1. Transportation- Over the centuries we have had advancements through engineering, physics and material science that have made it easier to see our loved ones. Could you imagine having to walk across the country to see your relatives, going in horse and buggy or traveling the creeks and streams by boats to see your relatives. With the advancement in technology the automobile replaced walking and the horse and buggy. So know we can get in our hopefully fuel efficient vehicles on the Interstate System that civil engineers and architects created. If you prefer not to drive like me, thank to innovations in aviation we can get almost anywhere within the world through a direct flight within 24 hours.

2. Food Science, Genetic Engineering, Agriculture and Organic Chemistry, etc- Could you imagine the very first Thanksgiving where they grew and raised everything that they ate for that feast. Although, it would probably be a lot healthier for us if we were able to grow and raise our own food. So many innovations in all the disciplines of science and engineering has allowed us the opportunity and convenience to make our list, get in the car and buy what we need to make our holiday meals or in my case the dish that we will take to the meal from the local grocery store.

3. Electrical and Mechanical Engineering- I can't even imagine what they used to cook the first Thanksgiving meal. But today we have an host of appliances, small and large to prepare our feast. From the food processor to chop our veggies, the stoves that we will use, the deep fryer and roaster we will use to cook our turkeys and the fridge that will hold the cold items and the leftovers.

4. Computer Engineering- The invention of the internet has truly improved our society from the emails and e-cards that we can see to those we love that we won't be able to spend the holidays with. To using the internet to find directions to our destinations or purchase our holiday travel and/or gifts (Be sure to use www.Goodshop.com to purchase those items and make sure that SEM LInk is your designated charity). Or to find that new recipe that you want to try out or to find the missing ingredient from the recipe that someone shared with you.

As we prepare for this holiday season, I want everyone to be thankful for how science, engineering and technology has improve our quality of life and the celebration of this holiday season. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Getting Kids Interested in Hands on Math and Science Activities

A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a fellow science educator that works in the San Francisco Bay Area. We were having a conversation about the lack of interest of students to engage in hands on science activities, let alone the ability to spend the time to conduct an experiment and put in the work to successfully complete a math or science fair project. There are various theories on why kids don't find math or science fun which include:
1. Lack of opportunities to engage in hands on math and science activities in the classroom
2. Lack of opportunities to be exposed to hands on math and science activities at home and in the community
3. With the age of technology, most kids are utilizing computers and other electronic devices for entertainment and learning, that it is hard to get kids to play outside let alone engage in hands on math or science activities
There are probably more than these three reasons, but no matter what the reasons are, we have to find solutions to this problem.

We are in a age where the United States is falling behind in science, engineering and technology. Other countries are leading the way in advancing in technology, biomedical research, manufacturing, environmental research and etc. The globalization of the world or in the words of Thomas Friedman, making it "flat" has flatten our economy in the math and science related sectors. The only way that we can make it better is making a targeted effort to ensure that we have a future science, technology and engineering workforce for the next generations to come. So how do we do that, getting K-12 students interested in hands on science activities. Since this is a technology age, we must introduce them to website where they can play math and science educational games, read online articles about innovation in science and technology and use www.goodsearch.com to find any information about math and science. But most importantly, get them engaged in hands on math and science activities by taking them to your local science museum, aquarium, state or national park or doing some math and science experiments at home. The start to ensuring that we have a future STEM workforce is ensuring that some of our kids think that science and math are cool and fun. Then the next step is exposing them to the career options in those fields.