Sunday, June 17, 2012




 Innovate to Educate in STEM

Red Tails and Cupcake Wars
Dr. Raye Mitchell
June 7, 2012

       It’s the end of the school year, and in the past few weeks I have enjoyed the pleasure of speaking about innovation, diversity, and furthering the expansion of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) initiatives in communities of color. I had agreed to speak and work with the these programs because they all exemplify a creative answer to President Obama’s challenge to all Americans to “Educate to Innovate”—that is, to join the cause of elevating STEM education to become a national priority. Meeting this challenge, which the President proposed on November 23, 2009, when speaking to key leaders of the STEM community, would dramatically improve and excel the United States by producing STEM leaders on the global and community scales.  
           My focus is to reshape our vision of STEM by building engagement through innovation in communities of color. I believe we can do this by illustrating that STEM is a root connector in all enjoyable aspects of our daily lives, from America’s new obsession with cupcakes via the Food Network TV program “Cupcake Warsto the technology and science behind Lucasfilms’ major hit movie, Red Tails. In fact, I even concluded my last speaking tour with a final offer to partner with the Oakland Unified School District, TTO and G.U.R.L.S. Rock Leadership Program, which supports STEM programs to celebrate innovation and diversity  in STEM.in 2013 for women's history months with a program called Red Tails and Cupcake Wars.  We are in the San Francisco Bay Area and can invite Lucusfilms to visit our program and discuss the STEM aspect of the movie Red Tails. For added fun, we reach out to Cupcake Wars and ask that they make one of their shows to focus on STEM and women's history month whereby the winners can display at the Red Tails and Cupcake Wars Celebration of Women's History Month and Diversity.  You never know what can happen and I thought that went something like this: If we think in new ways, take risks, and remember the mantra, “Red Tails and Cupcake Wars,” we can support President Obama’s call to use STEM to “Educate to Innovate” with our own commitment to Innovate to Educate.

Programs Celebrating and Achieving Innovation and Diversity in STEM Education

BlackGirlsCode 2012 Summer of Code



            
          The innovative group of leaders at BlackGirlsCode launched the 2012 Summer of Code Campaign on June 17, 2012. The goal of the project is to teach computer programming to 300 boys and girls of color, in 90 days, in over seven cities across the United States.  BlackGirlsCode will take the program from San Francisco to Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis, and Las Vegas in order to deliver one- and two-day workshops to students ages 7-17.  The project will culminate with two week-long summer camps in San Francisco and Oakland.

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science,
Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing

         I had the honor of speaking at the inaugural Celebration of National Nurses Week, which was hosted by founding Dean of the Mervyn M. Dymally School of Nursing, Gloria J. McNeal, PhD, MSN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, and her staff. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this innovative program, and to have seen their leadership and change in action.

Teach Tomorrow in Oakland (TTO)
           On June 4, 2012, I spoke with an excited group of new STEM teachers and prospective STEM teachers at Teach Tomorrow in Oakland (TTO), a dynamic program that brings to life the mission and opportunity to increase diversity in the pool of professionals teaching in a diverse community such as Oakland, California.

West Oakland District 3-Lafayette Elementary School-STEM
            On June 7, 2012, I met Lafayette Elementary School Principal Karen Hayne and Director Jumoke Hinton Hodge, and an energetic group of youngsters, parents, school staff, West Oakland residents, and community leaders at the End of the Year Celebration of STEM at Lafayette Elementary, West Oakland District 3. I was pleased to see that leaders in STEM education at West Oakland, part of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), are continuing to build a dynamic, state-of-the-art STEM program.


As the Chief Social Entrepreneur and Founder of the G.U.R.L.S. Rock Leadership Program, a training program supporting girls and girls of color as the next generation of global leaders, (www.gurlsrock.org and www.fb.com/gurlsrockpower ), I urge you to support the BlackGirlsCode 2012 Summer of Code Campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/BlackGirlsCode?a=685383. G.U.R.L.S. Rock also looks forward to exploring partnerships and programming activities with Charles R. Drew University, Teach Tomorrow in Oakland, and the Oakland Unified School District to continue its efforts to Innovate to Educate that will benefit ALL communities.

Cheers,





Dr. Raye Mitchell
“A movement always starts with movement. Change the world. Do something bold. Do something new.”