The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) proposes to staff three booths at the STEM Careers Fair sponsored by the National Science Foundation and U.S. Representative Frank Wolf in Dulles, Virginia in September 2013. The goal of the fair is to provide and opportunity for science-related organizations to showcase some of the amazing STEM research and education activities taking place throughout the United States and to highlight the vast diversity of STEM career possibilities.
Part of the mission of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is to provide pathways into the atmospheric and related sciences to learners of various ages through educational programs that integrate expertise from across the organization. In late September 2013 through the generous support of the National Science Foundation, NCAR staff from its Earth Observing Laboratory, Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, and Education programs planned three coordinated exhibits for the Change the World: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Career Fair targeted toward secondary students at the Dulles, Virginia mall. On September 27 there were approximately 11,800 people in the mall during the Career Fair hours, an 8.3% increase over a typical Friday. On Saturday, September 28, approximately 16,450 people were in the mall during exhibit hours, a 12.8% increase over an average Saturday. Furthermore, at least 18 media outlets carried news of the event. Consequently, the impact of the CHANGE THE WORLD Careers Fair was significant in terms of exposure to STEM careers and practices by those in the mall who spent time with NCAR and other STEM exhibits and personnel. Together, NCAR staff showed the importance of not only observations, engineering tools, and data collection via a radar demonstration that introduced two features of radars in weather research: radar as a ranging device that detects reflection from objects; and the fact that moisture is more reflective than dry air. Of equal importance to observations, tools, and data collection is the computational prowess that supercomputers give us today to forecast weather and severe storms. Our computation division's presence at the Fair helped students understand its importance and the fact that computer skills are not just for computer science professionals but important for all STEM careers. Lastly, without communication and education, the wealth of what we know would not benefit society or advance science research. Our Education exhibit worked in unison with our radar and computation exhibits to convey the importance of the integration of observation, engineering, data, computational sciences, and communication/education to provide forecasts that can ultimately save lives when weather becomes severe. Through an exhibit that highlighted an understanding of weather that spins, students were led to draw connections between the educational content, its engineering, observations, and radar data, and the need for computational science to model and improve forecasts using the data collected where and when available. NCAR staff thoroughly enjoyed translating world-class scientific knowledge into education, career, and training resources for secondary students and others interested in and/or curious about STEM. The event provided diverse STEM role models, especially to those in attendance who came from enviroments where few STEM role models are present. This was particularly satisfying to all NCAR staff. Also, while NCAR has no means to follow up with their impact on those in attendance, educators and scientists at the exhibits were able to engage 100s of students in conversation and actions involving STEM activities and STEM careers. While encouraging students to consider STEM careers was our primary objective, so too was expanding science literacy and understanding among learners of all ages. We believe that our exhibits along with others broadly impacted the latter, while planting seeds of possibility regarding STEM careers in many others. Sometimes, all it takes is one person to make a difference.
