Former Astronaut Bernard Harris to Speak at NJIT STEM Forum and Meet With Summer Science Campers
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Bernard Harris, the first African-American astronaut to walk in space, will visit NJIT to speak with educators at STEM School Leadership Forum 2018: Building STEM Partnerships, as well as meet with middle school students attending the 2018 Bernard Harris Summer STEM Camp (BHSSC). As the forum’s featured speaker on how to increase and deepen STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning, Dr. Harris will help welcome more than 60 school superintendents, principals and STEM curriculum leaders to the event. He also will spend time with the students — 24 rising sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from Essex, Union, Passaic, Hudson and Bergen counties — as they engage in a hands-on project that he will judge. Some of the students will present with Dr. Harris at the forum.
WHEN AND WHERE/AGENDA:
Thursday, July 19, 2018
STEM School Leadership Forum 2018: Building STEM Partnerships
8:30 a.m. to noon
Central King Building, Room 116
- Introductory and closing remarks by Jacqueline L. Cusack, Ed.D., executive director of NJIT’s Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP).
- Featured speaker Dr. Bernard Harris, with BHSSC students.
- Panel discussion.
- “Field trip” to NJIT’s Makerspace, led by Newark College of Engineering Dean Moshe Kam.
Bernard Harris Summer STEM Camp
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tiernan Hall, Room 105
- Welcoming remarks.
- Lunch and hands-on activity.
- Camper presentations (camp moves to Central King Building, Room 116).
WHY: According to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, economic projections indicate that there could be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs by 2018. The STEM employment gap is further compounded by persistent diversity challenges, as women and minorities, who comprise 70 percent of college students but less than 45 percent of STEM degrees, represent a largely untapped talent pool.
The STEM Forum, coordinated by CPCP, supports educators interested in increasing STEM programming in their schools and districts, and provides the opportunity for sharing STEM strategies and networking. The Bernard Harris Summer STEM Camp, also organized by CPCP, has introduced thousands of underrepresented and underserved middle school students to STEM as well as outer space. Both initiatives aim to boost the STEM talent pipeline.
“STEM skills open doors for students, particularly in growing career fields. The camp really encourages and inspires students to recognize and develop interests in STEM, particularly those who may be socioeconomically disadvantaged and have limited exposure to available opportunities,” said Dr. Harris, president of The Harris Foundation and CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative (www.nms.org).
“I’m pleased to be participating in CPCP’s second annual STEM Forum, designed to provide attendees with valuable information about STEM programming they can then take back to their boards and other stakeholders,” he added.
BACKGROUND: CPCP is the most successful pre-college program in the state. It began its annual STEM Forum in 2017, and has hosted the summer camp for the past 12 years. During the two-week residential camp, students participate in interactive, project-based classes, meet university faculty and get a sense of college life by living in an NJIT dormitory.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
- Center for Pre-College Programs at NJIT, 973-596-3550, cpcp@njit.edu
SOCIAL MEDIA:
- STEM School Leadership Forum 2018: #NJITSTEM
- Bernard Harris Summer STEM Camp: #BHSSC, @bernardharrisjr
