By Dr. Martina Bachlechner
Economic growth in West Virginia relies heavily on filling available science, technology, engineering and mathematics—or STEM—positions with qualified job seekers. Institutions of higher education have responded to this need by developing corresponding programs. However, in 2017 only 48 percent of ACT-tested high school graduates nationwide indicated they were interested in STEM, and only 21 percent of those met the ACT STEM benchmark.
Furthermore, according to Carolyn Long, campus president at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, the Mountain State needs professionals in these new roles who are capable in their chosen disciplines, able to effectively communicate in the workplace and flexible enough to see the bigger picture of their work. West Virginia educators at all levels are therefore called upon to instill an excitement in STREAM careers—a term used for science, technology, reading and writing, engineering, arts and mathematics—in young students, their families and their teachers.
Hands-On Activities, Powerful Role Models
When the West Virginia Governor’s STEM Initiative provided funding for Ozobot Evos, table-top mini robots that follow lines drawn on paper and move in specific ways depending on color sequences, it was the starting point for Pierpont Community & Technical College’s STREAM days.
Recognizing the importance of STREAM education, the staff at Pierpont got to work organizing two STREAM days for middle school students in its 13-county service region to introduce them to STEM opportunities in North Central West Virginia. The first STREAM day was held at the Northern West Virginia Advanced Technology Center in November 2017. West Virginia boys and girls in the eighth grade participated in hands-on activities prepared by Pierpont faculty and volunteers from Reasoning Mind and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Mary Beth Atwell, a teacher at West Fairmont Middle School, supports the Reasoning Mind program because it teaches students how to think.
Bachlechner instructing the Ozobots workshop.
“The students may not understand until later, but math is a solid foundation for solving life’s problems,” says Dr. Stacy Berry, implementation coordinator for Reasoning Mind’s math curriculum.
Recognizing the need to expose girls to STEM separately, Pierpont organized a girls-only STREAM day for students in sixth and seventh grades in April 2018 and included an emphasis on the reading, writing, oral communication and arts components.
Dr. Kari Coffindaffer, professor of graphics and assistant dean in Pierpont’s School of Business, Aviation and Technology, contributed with a workshop on color mixing, and Jamie Wolfe, a graphic artist consultant and Pierpont alumna presented on infographics. “Getting to share some of my skills with a group of young, bright and aspiring ladies gives me hope for the future of jobs in STREAM in our West Virginia community,” says Wolfe.
Debra Lupica-Scott, assistant professor of English, was excited to work with the girls in her workshop titled “Writing is Essential,” and Ironda Campbell, associate professor of communication, engaged the students in her workshop “I Am Who I Think I Am: The Power of Positive Communication,” encouraging them to consider the impact positive thinking and positive self-talk can have on our actions.
Hands-on activities such as using stethoscopes in the workshop “Physiological Response and Importance of Physical Activity,” led by Cindy Jaworski, MS, Exercise Physiology, triggered interaction among classmates and with the presenter. A discussion of the respiratory system led to one girl expressing her concern over her relative’s smoking habit, which keeps them from being physically active.
Students at the girls-only STREAM day at Pierpont Community & Technical College in April.
Karen Morris, CPA, MBA, and Katie Roeher, MBA, both from Pierpont’s business department, challenged students with teamwork and strategic brainstorming in their workshop. Many other activities also prepared the students for the teamwork aspect of their future careers.
In the workshop “Kilocalories—Calories Count,” directed by Pamela Hamilton, a professor in nutrition, the students chose from seven items to make their own trail mix and calculate the calories of their choices. Students realized that aside from careers in dietary management, knowledge about nutritional value is an important asset for everybody.
Enhancing STEM Career Awareness for Girls
Research has shown that women-only events encourage more young women to choose pathways they would otherwise overlook. “Events like these were what influenced me to go into the college programs I chose,” says Kathryn Totten, vice president of Master Service Corporation in Elkins, WV, and a recent graduate of the Applied Process Technology Program at Pierpont.
In the Ozobot workshop at Pierpont’s STREAM day, middle school students were excited about using the line-following mini robots and learning about concepts that are becoming very prevalent in industry.
Ruby Morris, a science teacher at Fairmont Catholic Grade School, attended the event with her sixth and seventh grade students and enjoyed seeing them engaged in STREAM activities—even students who typically don’t enjoy science. Dana Gribben, senior administrative assistant at Pierpont, agreed that the experience was enriching and eye-opening for students.
Students at the Microscopic Study of Blood workshop.
“My oldest daughter, Kate, is in the seventh grade at West Fairmont Middle School and recently attended STREAM day,” says Gribben. “She and her friends enjoyed learning about all of the different programs offered. The two of us went for a walk that evening, and she talked the entire time about the highlights of her day and the instructors who did the presentations. It opened her eyes to many career opportunities she had never considered or even knew existed.”
Several Pierpont faculty in the school of health careers familiarized students with programs offered at the Advanced Technology Center. Amy Cunningham, RHIA, CTR, CPC-I, health information technology program coordinator, introduced students to medical coding, and Hollie McDaniel-Brown, MSRT, RRT, director of clinical education, worked with the students in the respiratory therapy lab.
Teachers who were with their students in the workshop “Microscopic Study of Blood” told Melissa White, MA, MT (ASCP, AMT), AHI (AMT), medical laboratory technology program coordinator, that actually using microscopes and getting information on what they were seeing could help direct their selection of high school courses and even future careers.
Alyson Johnson, Ph.D., MPH; Lee Greenawald, Ph.D.; and Tia McClelland, MPH provided the young girls the opportunity to ask anything related to education and careers in the STREAM disciplines in a comfortable and accepting atmosphere. At NIOSH in Morgantown, women make up a number of STREAM professionals, including chemists, biologists, veterinarians, industrial hygienists and statisticians. Personal stories from the presenters highlighted the many journeys women in the STREAM disciplines can take throughout their careers in North Central West Virginia.
In the workshop “Solving Outbreaks with the CDC’s Disease Detectives,” Dr. Christina Socias-Morales, MPH; Laura Reynolds, RN, BSN, MPH; and Megan Casey, RN, BSN, MPH, all from NIOSH, introduced the middle school students to epidemiology.
Jennifer Ellison, MS, assistant professor of mathematics at Pierpont and secretary of the West Virginia Association for Developmental Education spoke for all the workshop presenters when she summarized the girls-only STREAM day. “I love interacting with the girls and helping them see why STREAM is so important and that they can do it,” she says.
About the Author
Dr. Martina Bachlechner is the STREAM coordinator and a physics professor at Pierpont Community & Technical College. She holds a master’s degree in math and physics education and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in technical physics from the Johannes Kepler University in Austria. At Pierpont and beyond, Bachlechner enjoys sharing her love for math and physics with students of all ages.
