Science Is The Language of the Future

The ambitious students of Brooklyn Technical High School  just got a boost in support for their career aspirations, thanks to two days of workshops hosted by STEMcp, for students interested in career paths in science, technology, engineering and math.

The workshops took place on Tuesday and Wednesday at Brooklyn Tech's stately campus. Day-one of the workshops was devoted to reaching young girls and the students' parents. Wednesday's workshop was dedicated entirely to reaching out to the young men.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to speak at Brooklyn Tech,” said Dr. Raj A. Stewart, one of the workshop speakers on Wednesday. “Knowing the power that they have and the quality of students that they have, these are the types of people who can become the true first affectors.”

A 2007 report from the National Science Foundation shows that the percentage of the US population with bachelor's degrees or higher in science and technology was 20 percent for African Americans, compared to 36 percent for White Americans.

Kevin Jordan heard this message loud and clear when he realized that his 11-year-old daughter had a knack for problem solving, but found that few resources  were available to challenge his young daughter's probing mind.

So Jordan worked hard on his own to cultivate her talents, by seeking out the right kind of books and videos that would keep her engaged. In an effort to provide other families with the resources he discovered, he started STEMcp.com in 2010, an online forum that supports students interested in science and technology careers.

“We wanted to create a project design with the objective to help strengthen the pipeline for students pursuing S.T.E.M. careers,” said Jordan.

To reinforce the support available through the website, Jordan partnered with Black Organization of Students Strength at BTHS to host a two-day workshop to get face time with the young people he supports.

The event was designed to include successful young scientists, doctors and engineers -- which he calls STEM Stars -- that high school students can relate to.

Stewart was one of two male speakers on hand Wednesday who hoped to serve as role a model of success for the young African-American boys. The 30-year-old neuroscientist from Baltimore said he hoped the takeaway for students is to understand how much science and technology is deeply ingrained in society.

Dr. Joseph Towles, a 37-year-old mechanical engineer from Chicago and also a speaker at Wednesday's event pointed to the abundance of resources available to students that attend schools like Brooklyn Tech. “I want them to appreciate the resources that they have here," said Towles.

While Stewart and Towles both are paradigms of success, Stewart reiterated that the key to breaking racial and national barriers ultimately would be through science education.

“We are in an important place in global history,” he said. “Now that globalization is occurring, the common language, the shared language, as the world shrinks is definitely science."