Way back in the prehistoric age, when I was going to college, there were very few women heading for the engineering profession. Nor were there a slew of Black folks. As a matter of fact, my engineering/science college (undergraduate) had about 5 women enrollees. And, to the best of my knowledge there were significantly less than 3 score (there may have been 10) Black students. Out of an undergraduate population of nearly 3000.

When I went to grad school, there was one (yes, just one) Black Chem E prof. And, one afternoon, we had a discussion about the problems he had in his professional life. It clearly reminded me of the stories I heard from my relatives, who could not pursue their desires because they were Jewish.

These facts- coupled with the love of what I do- have compelled me over the years to help promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education for our youth- all of our youth. The fact that we need graduates with such skills to maintain- and expand- our technological edge is simply a plus. Along with the fact, that the more STEM all our students learn, the more able they will be to understand societal issues. After all, if one does not comprehend science, it will be easy for any charlatan to convince them that global warming is a sham, or that one can balance a budget by cutting a trillion dollars in taxes with no means for additional revenue.

Then, there’s the fact that within the next decade, the US will have a shortage of about a million STEM workers. (And, you wonder why the H1B exemption keeps getting pushed through Congress? But, it’s not the shortage that drives this issue- it’s that foreign workers earn less than US STEM trained professionals.)

So, I’ve worked with junior high and high school students in California, New York, Maryland, and Virginia. Helping with their science fair projects. Because I can.

I’ve even worked with Alexandria’s TC Williams (of “Remember the Titans” fame), where a STEM program involves 10th graders. To get them excited, to get them involved. The school has a year-long program, where the students study issues of interest (and handled at the 10th grade level) in groups of 3 or 4.

Now, I’ve been given the opportunity to work with a new program started by Silver Knights Enrichment. From the name, it shouldn’t surprise you that this after-school program started by working with kids, teaching them to play chess.

But, now, they’ve expanded their offerings to include STEM. With programs that are aimed at elementary school kids. To get them excited about STEM, to get them to understand scientific concepts, design experiments, execute those plans, and have a great time. Working together in groups of three or four.

Yes, I said elementary school. And, this program- for now- is being offered at a variety of schools in the DC Metropolitan area (DC, MD, VA). That includes charter schools, parochial schools, and public schools. (I am sure Silver Knights plans to expand the program, as they grow and garner experience.)

Targeting elementary schools is a critical issue. Because we already know that STEM achievement gaps begin early. Sometime between fourth and eight grade, positive attitudes towards STEM decreases from 71% to 48%. (Drs. PL Morgan and MM Hillemeir,and Mr. S. Maczuga of Penn State, along with Dr. G Farkas of UC Irvine discerned this dismal statistic from studying 7757 children across racial, ethnic, and economic strata and published their results in Educational Researcher, Science Achievement Gaps Begin Very EArly, Persist, and Are Largely Explained by Modifiable Factors).

But, there were interesting indicators. Early math skills were among the best predictor for later school success. Things as simple as counting. puzzle play, talking about math, and playing board games were vital to expand children’s STEM skills. And, preschoolers who underwent a 26 week math curriculum improved their math test scores – by a factor of 2- when compared to those with a standard curriculum. Which means we have a real problem, since the conventional curriculum devotes less than 5% of overall class time to STEM activities.

And, it gets better. Drs A Master, S Cheryan, and AN Meltzoff determined that among four-year olds – if they thought they were part of a group (even if working alone), half the kids liked the (artificial) group task better, 1/3 liked working alone, and the rest had no preference. But, they all seemed to work at that task longer if they thought it was a group effort- because they didn’t want to let the other (fake) team members down.

So, another way to keep kids motivated is to have them work in teams. And, get them involved in fun, STEM activities.

Maybe this is the start of something really beautiful.