STEM outreach

Calvin Mackie’s mission is to get more kids interested in STEM

John Hollis — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 19:30:40 +0000

Calvin Mackie’s mission is to get more kids interested in STEM John Hollis Mon, 10/11/2021 - 15:30

Dr. Calvin Mackie hopes to inspire more kids to STEM. Photo provided

Calvin Mackie’s youngest son was in the third grade when he came home and suddenly announced that he wasn’t interested in science anymore.

That didn’t sit well with Mackie, a former mechanical engineering professor, or his wife, who’s a pharmacist. So he knew he had to do something. It wasn’t long before he’d converted his garage into a temporary lab and had begun the kind of hands-on experiments on the weekends that would better engage his son.

His son, who is now a freshman at Howard University, was getting all As at one of Louisiana’s top magnet schools the following year when his friends began inquiring about how he’d come to know so much about science.

“Right then and there, he realized he’d been exposed to somebody and things that his friends were not,” said Mackie, the founder of the nonprofit STEM NOLA. “He really believed that if his friends had [this same exposure], they would be just as bright as him.”

It wasn’t long before a group of his son’s friends began showing up to Mackie’s garage on Saturdays as well.

It was then that Mackie had an epiphany of sorts, realizing that he had something to offer the larger New Orleans community.

“If [my son’s] friends were not being exposed, then think of the rest of the kids,” Mackie said.

Putting up $100,000 of their own money, Mackie and his wife, Tracy, founded STEM NOLA in 2013 in the hopes of making a positive difference for the larger New Orleans community in which they lived and help meet the demands of the 21st century.

A nonprofit organization with a mission to expose, inspire and engage the communities in STEM opportunities, STEM NOLA provides participants an interactive, hands-on learning experience that allows students and future innovators and entrepreneurs of all ages to gain added confidence in their abilities and chart a potential course for a career in a STEM field.

Students enrolled in STEM NOLA learn about 3D printing, coding, technology, engineering, robotics, animation, app development, gaming and much more.

His passion for STEM and inclusion is why Mackie will meet with students, faculty and staff at multiple events on Wednesday, Oct. 20, as part of the Investiture events for Mason President Gregory Washington.

He said it was important to him to be at Mason to celebrate as Washington, his good friend of 30 years, realized a lifelong dream. The two men first met in Atlanta back in 1991, when Mackie was president of Georgia Tech’s Black Graduate Student Association and trying to recruit Washington to come there for his PhD program.

They immediately hit it off thanks in large part to a shared love of STEM, and the two men have since worked together on a number of occasions with the aim of increasing STEM numbers among underserved communities.

“His dream was to be a college president, impact lives and set the direction of an institution,” Mackie said. “It’s important for us to acknowledge and celebrate when goals are met and made.”

Since 2014, STEM NOLA has served more than 80,000 students across 47 states and five different countries, most of whom have hailed from underserved or low-income communities. Nearly half of the participants are female, with more than 80% eligible for free or reduced-priced school lunches.

“It’s making a lasting impression,” Mackie said. “Our commitment is to give all children that which my wife and I and others have given to their kids. We’ve established a level of execution and operation that I don’t want to see change because everybody deserves it.”

Mackie has made the most of all the tools available to him to share his message, including his young brother, Anthony Mackie, the popular Marvel actor who recently became the first black Captain America.

Calvin Mackie said he hopes to eventually create a credit-to-career pipeline that allows for ample access to STEM for all students, no matter their family’s socioeconomic status.

“My ultimate goal is to have a million kids doing STEM on Saturday, every Saturday,” he said.

Topics

STEM

STEM outreach

Investiture

Office of the President

Campus News

STEM Fusion classes draw students from throughout Northern Virginia

Colleen Rich — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 09:00:54 +0000

STEM Fusion classes draw students from throughout Northern Virginia Colleen Rich Thu, 03/12/2020 - 05:00

Mason alumnus Sarom Leang (standing), who participated in the EIP Program from 1993 to 1998, teaches a computer programming class at STEM Fusion. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing.

Betzy Balladares, a senior at Patriot High School in Nokesville, Virginia, was spending her Saturday in class on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus. She was there, she said, to learn as much as she could to prepare for college.

Balladares, who is currently deciding which university to attend, will be the first in her family to go to college. She came to the United States from Peru when she was 8.

“I want to go to a good college to encourage my little brother,” Balladares said. “I want to be a good role model.”

Balladares was participating in one of five STEM Fusion Days held every year to help empower students to excel in their math and science coursework. During a recent cold February day, about 350 middle and high school students from throughout Northern Virginia attended a variety of classes. Some of the classes helped students review topics they were learning in school or prepared them for upcoming coursework. In addition, students were able to attend classes on new topics, such as cybersecurity and video game design.

The STEM Fusion program is part of Mason’s Early Identification Program (EIP), an extensive outreach effort to more than 650 first-generation college-bound students in the Northern Virginia area. Established in 1987, EIP is a multiyear college preparatory program for middle and high school students who will be the first in their families to attend college.

“STEM Fusion Days expose students to careers in STEM and provide math and science enrichment in coursework that students are currently enrolled in at their base school,” said Khaseem F. Davis, EIP’s director. “We provide math and science support from content experts who deliver the material in fun and engaging ways.”

Honors College senior Jesse McCandlish (right) has served as a tutor in math, science, and programming for the EIP Program during her time at Mason. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing.

Nawal Ali, an eighth-grade student at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, said the STEM classes “help me get prepared for school.”

In addition, she’s made friends with other students.

“They are all like me, they come for the same reason—that they believe they can do better things in life,” Ali said.

“Teaching provides me with an opportunity to give back to the same program that helped me embark on an academic journey that has resulted in my professional career as a computational scientist,” said Mason alumnus Sarom Leang, BS Chemistry ’04, who participated in the EIP Program from 1993 to 1998 and teaches a computer programming class at STEM Fusion. He is currently working for EP Analytics.

EIP participation begins in eighth grade. To participate, students are nominated by a school counselor and apply at the end of seventh grade. Students who successfully complete the program and meet Mason’s admissions requirements are guaranteed admission.

During the school year, Mason students tutor and mentor EIP participants. EIP participants also participate in an intensive three-week academic enrichment program in the summer. In addition, students from Mason’s Honors College help EIP participants in the college application process.

“The majority of our students come from groups historically underrepresented in college,” Davis said. “Mason’s EIP helps provide students with access to excellence.”

In fall 2019, the program had 223 participants enrolled from Fairfax County Public Schools, 143 from Arlington County, and 129 from Prince William Country, along with students from Alexandria City, Manassas Park, Manassas City and Falls Church City.

“It’s a little intimidating getting to college,” Balladares said. “My parents don’t know anything about the process, but I have the help of EIP, thank goodness.”