STEM NOLA: Creating future Black doctors, engineers, scientists
Educating and illuminating youth to the emerging industries of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), is essential to STEM NOLA’s work in one of America’s Blackest cities.
STEM NOLA, a nonprofit that encourages K-12 students in STEM-based learning, recently held its 10th annual Rocket Day in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the UNO Lakefront Arena. Rocket Day is an annual free event for the community to teach kids about aerospace and rocket technology fundamentals.
“This event provides an immersive experience for students to explore and inspire them to pursue careers in STEM fields,” said Dr. Calvin Mackie, president, founder, and CEO of STEM NOLA. “Rocket Day is our launchpad to really ignite their passion for science and engineering. We want to fuel curiosity and show the next generation the limitless power of possibility.”
Rocket Day served over 450 students, parents, volunteers, and more. The three-hour event featured speakers and volunteers from the Boeing Company. Students learned about the principles of rocketry and the physics of rocket takeoff. They then built model rockets and launched them across the field, displaying what they had learned.
The Boeing Company and the Department of Defense also sponsored the event, and brought dozens of volunteers to help the students. Mackie said these sponsorships had allowed him to expand the program throughout the state and along the Gulf Coast. STEM NOLA has also hosted events in Camden, New Jersey, and in New York at Yankee Stadium.
Morgan Hawkins, one of many volunteers at Rocket Day, said she was excited to see the event take place and help out. Hawkins works for Textron, a defense and aerospace company, and she said this was her first time volunteering at an event like this with her colleagues.
She said she taught the kindergarten to second grade group, which was a lot to handle but of fun. Hawkins added that she is glad that someone like Mackie is leading students into STEM paths and careers. During the event, Congressman Troy Carter handed a check for a $2 million federal grant to STEM NOLA. This funding will help build the foundation for the STEM Innovation Hub for Black Excellence. This hub will include laboratories and classrooms with the technology necessary to prepare students for a career or expertise in STEM.
Mackie created STEM NOLA out of his garage with his two sons and a few children from the neighborhood. After his children and other kids became more curious about the subject, in 2013, Mackie and his wife, Tracy Mackie, took out a loan to initiate STEM NOLA and host larger events for more kids across the community.
The first Rocket Day was months later and inspired by Mackie and his son’s regular weekend activity of firing rockets in the park. He said when you fire rockets at the park, naturally, children with curiosity will flock to the excitement.
Mackie said funding was limited, so he invited many of his engineering friends, including astronaut Jeanette Epps, to help with the event. Mackie said even with it being his first attempt, the event held more than 250 students.
“[Epps] is a Black woman with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and an astronaut. When I said an astronaut was coming, everybody was looking for a white man. And when this Black woman showed up, it blew everybody’s minds. The parents were running over the kids just to try and meet this astronaut,” said Mackie.
He added that he had tracked down some of his earliest students who attended Rocket Day, one of whom is now working at Lockheed Martin. Mackie said this is one of the many ways they track success, and those who do not pursue STEM careers are still STEM-literate for the future.
“We live in a nation that makes sure every Black and brown boy touches a football before the age of four, and no one says anything. And universities don’t have to worry about Black boys playing football or basketball. So our goal is to put STEM in the hands of kids before kindergarten,” said Mackie.
Education is the essence of Mackie and his wife’s vision in creating STEM NOLA. Mackie has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and was the first and only tenured professor at Tulane University.
In his hometown, the New Orleans Public School system houses about 44,000 students, and 92% of those pupils are students of color. He knew the hardships this community faced, especially after Hurricane Katrina, and always found a way to give back.
Mackie said he is tired of hearing calls for diversity yet has yet to see action taken on those calls. He said his community is unjustly undervalued, but when events like STEM NOLA are hosted in these communities, people begin to value themselves.
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