Nicole Adewale of ABNA Engineering remembers attending a Girl Scouts’ career day at St. Louis Community College – Forest Park when she was in seventh grade. There, she met a female engineer who profoundly influenced her life and career path.
“I just remember that she was tall and had a nice blue suit,” Adewale said. “Seeing a successful woman engineer told me that this was a reasonable career to pursue, even though there was no one in my family who chose that path. I have never forgot that lesson, and I’ve tried to pay that forward.”
For the past 12 years, Adewale has impacted children’s dreams by participating in the Saint Louis Science Center’s annual Minority Scientists Showcase. Always held on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the three-day showcase brings together scientists, engineers and other science-related professionals to share their stories and interact with young people and their families at the Saint Louis Science, 5050 Oakland Ave.
The event is now in its 24th year. Beginning on January 18, the event gives children an opportunity to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). More than 30 organizations, including Sigma Aldrich and Boeing, will participate.
“It’s a great opportunity for kids to learn more about the sciences,” Adewale said. “It’s important for to us to present images of African Americans and other minorities. It’s one thing to see minority scientists, engineers and mathematicians on TV, but until they actually meet someone in person, sometimes it’s not real to them – as far as it being a possible career for them.”
ABNA’s team will be at the event on Sunday, January 19 and January 20. Besides speaking with families, ABNA staff will build paper bridges with the students that are strong enough to hold four pounds of canned goods. They use only plain sheets of paper and nothing else – not even glue. Sometimes ABNA’s team also conduct soil tests, similar to those that they conduct for their engineering projects.
Throughout the years, Adewale has seen the significant impact that the event has had on children and families.
“I can’t tell you how many families I have met and have helped get involved in the National Society for Black Engineers or the First Robotics program,” she said.
Many students also learn about pre-college STEM programs and internships, and even make connections for future class assignments that require interviewing STEM professionals, she said.
On Saturday, there will also be presentations from award-winning teachers, who are recipients of the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Prize for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics in partnership with the center. On Monday there will be jazz music from Storman Academy and Irish dancing from Clarkson School of Irish Dance on the lower level of the center’s main building.
Mavus Brooks, an African-American technical scientist at Sigma Aldrich, has participated in the showcase for about three years. Sigma Aldrich hosts several experiments for the students – the most popular being a bouncy ball made with starch and Elmer’s glue.
“It generally has the longest line,” Brooks said. “I just love seeing them get excited.”
Brooks believes the event truly influences future scientists in the region.
“Students really want to know what’s going on,” she said. “We have information sheets if they are interested in doing experiments at home. It makes a profound difference for kids.”
For more information about the event, visit the Science Center’s website at www.slsc.org or call Margie Walsh at 314-286-4621.
