Developing S.T.E.M. Outreach in Younger Generations During a Pandemic

Developing interests and skills associated with STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in young people can have a significant impact on the intellectual growth of the individual and community. Unfortunately, even though schools recognize the value of STEM development, some schools struggle to meet their student's needs. This is especially true in rural and urban school systems. The University of Alabama has established a program called STEM Outreach (STEMO) to provide the youth of Birmingham opportunities to develop scientific thought and critical thinking through mentoring on STEM-based activities with STEM-field professionals. Previously STEMO volunteers partnered with middle school students from Freedom Reign Academy, John Herbert Phillips Academy, and the Eureka Program at Girls, Inc. Now with the pandemic, the need for distance-learning activities is clear to maintain relationships with these schools. As such STEMO members are designing experiments with walk-through videos and written instructions. Each participant receives their STEM experiment free-of-charge mailed in a box. The hope of the STEMO volunteers is to provide young people fun opportunities to develop interest and discover their place in the STEM community.