Innovate to Educate in STEM
Red Tails and Cupcake Wars
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
Wars” to 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.”
