For more black engineers, we need more K-12 STEM learning [Q&A]

Expanding involvement of African Americans in STEM fields would require exposing students (K-12) to more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics on a regular basis.
It starts with learning to get to the doing.
That’s the goal of the Baltimore Metropolitan Alumni Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
On Friday, the NSBE-BMAC held its 24^th anniversary banquet at the Engineers Club in Mount Vernon to recognize some of the steps we’ve taken over the last year to deliver STEM-related programs to black students in Baltimore.

• NSBE-BMAC has partnered with the Baltimore Urban League’s Young Professionals Auxiliary and the Greater Baltimore Leadership Association, to develop and host STEMWorks. STEMWorks is a program where STEM professionals perform a series of STEM-related activities with students in middle and high school. To date, we have partnered to host two STEMWorks events and currently plan to hold a third STEMWorks event, STEMworks 3.0, in May.
• NSBE-BMAC has partnered with the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. The GMS program provides college scholarships to high school students. NSBE-BMAC hosted two sessions with GMS to discuss this scholarship opportunity in order to increase the number of applicants from the Baltimore region.
• We also work directly with schools via the NSBE Jr. program, an afterschool program designed to encourage students in grades K–12 to attend college and pursue technical degrees. Through the program, students run their own chapter of NSBE. We typically arrange for a STEM professional to visit the school to discuss various STEM-related topics or perform STEM activities with the students. Additionally, students from NSBE Jr. chapters can attend NSBE regional conferences and the National Convention for a multi-day emersion in STEM activities.  

As NSBE-BMAC heads into its 25^th year, the organization has set a few goals to expand exposure of African Americans to STEM.

• We plan to host a STEM booth at the African American Heritage Festival in July.
• We’ll host a STEM event for high school and middle school students during Engineers Week in February 2014.
• And, hopefully, we’ll bring the Summer Engineering Experience for Kids to Baltimore in 2014.           

Technically Baltimore spoke with Westray, a consultant at Riverbed Technology in Greenbelt, Md., about NSBE’s STEM efforts after the banquet Friday.
TB: The evening’s theme was “Driving the Community Forward in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)” What exactly do you mean? What should be done to expand black students’ involvement in STEM fields?
DW: Introduction of more STEM related activities during the K-8 years are crucial to kick-starting students interest in STEM disciplines. STEM cannot be an “ad-on.” It must be integrated more heavily in the K-8 curriculum. Also, individuals with STEM backgrounds should be hired to teach STEM. 
TB: Any examples of these sorts of efforts in the Baltimore region?
DW: Right now there are four NSBE chapters at Baltimore metropolitan area universities (Johns Hopkins, UMBC, Morgan and Towson). Each chapter has varying levels of involvement on campus and off campus. The presence of NSBE collegiate chapters is essential in supporting and maintaining African American college students in STEM majors. Some college chapters of NSBE work with local high school students through the NSBE Jr. program as well.
TB: But what about on the K-8 level you mentioned?
DW: Morgan State University offers two programs, Science Engineering Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) and Morgan Undergraduate Help Program (MUCH), which are both free programs offered to students within Baltimore city. 

• SEMAA is an all-year program offered to increase STEM participation in K-12 underrepresented youth. 
• MUCH invites Chemistry Club members from Morgan State to perform hands-on chemistry experiments once a week with a fifth grade class within Baltimore city for a total of six weeks.

Also, the Carnegie Institution for Science [based in Washington, D.C.] supports a science outreach program called BioEYES, a K-12 program within Baltimore City Public Schools that helps to foster enthusiasm in science within underrepresented minority youth using live zebrafish. The Johns Hopkins University School of Education recently partnered with BioEYES and currently funds 50 percent of the program. 
TB: To the NSBE in particular: what does the society do to encourage active involvement, participation, and enrollment by African American students in STEM studies?
DW: One of the most important programs that NSBE offers is the NSBE Jr. Pre-College Initiative (PCI) program.  
Another NSBE program is the Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK). SEEK is led by NSBE engineering students and technical professionals, and it encourages students to pursue STEM-related careers by starting them early. Unfortunately, Baltimore will not have a SEEK program in 2013, but the NSBE-BMAC has assembled a team to try to bring SEEK to Baltimore in 2014.