News
Tech Titans connects students to STEM career futures, virtually
By Melinda Guravich, staff writer The Tech Titans® STEM Workforce Initiative has delivered 15,000 inspirational experiences to students since its inception, through career panels, speed mentoring, STEM camps, facility tours and other face-to-face events. Last spring, dozens of scheduled events suddenly evaporated from school calendars in the wake of the pandemic shut down. The technology association’s Talent Team was determined to continue inspiring high school and middle school students to pursue STEM
Student video contest winners show their AI intelligence
High school and middle school students were honored in Tech Titans fifth annual STEM video contest, sponsored by State Farm, that inspires students to truly 'show what you know' in fun ways. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the subject matter needs to be researched, hopefully inspiring these students stay in STEM fields for the long haul.This year’s videos describe engineering careers and artificial intelligence technologies, creating excitement about a future in technology and showing how students can play
High school teachers excel during pandemic, honored by Tech Titans STEM Award
By Melinda Guravich, staff writer Tech Titans presented its first STEM Excellence Awards to ten high school educators who demonstrate creativity and leadership during challenging times as they inspire students to pursue STEM careers. The awards and virtual celebration were sponsored by State Farm. Tech Titans recognizes these leaders as first responders. They’ve championed student needs and developed innovative approaches to STEM instruction for online and in-person learning during a global
Qorvo inspires next generation through STEM initiative
By Melinda Guravich, staff writer Qorvo inspires employees and the next generation through the STEM initiative How do STEM careers start? Marvin Harris, foundry engineer with Qorvo, Inc. (photo at right), knew he wanted to become an engineer in seventh grade after attending a summer outreach program at Purdue University. “I fell in love with electrical engineering,” he said. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia
UT Dallas knows STEM-love starts before the university level
by Melinda Guravich, staff writer “I cannot tell you how energized I am every time high school students come to the UTDesign Makerspace studio for a Tech Titans workshop, and every time I talk to kids about STEM careers,” said Rod Wetterskog, assistant dean of corporate relations for UT Dallas. Tech Titans’ STEM partnership with the Tier One university is essential to the success of the STEM initiative. Rod, an “engineering physics guy” by training and six-year member of the Talent Team, has hosted
Volunteering at every career and life stage, even during a pandemic
by Melinda Guravich, STEM writer Lynn Mortensen is passionate about getting kids engaged with STEM. “If we don’t show them what they can be, especially girls and minority children, they often don’t have a clue.” While vice president of engineering at Raytheon, Lynn served as the company’s Tech Titans corporate representative. At retirement, she joined the newly formed STEM committee, committing her time and energy to inspiring a new generation of engineers from diverse backgrounds. She was recognized as
The Talent Team strikes back: STEM inspirations go digital
by Melinda Guravich, Tech Titans contributor Dave Galley, director of the STEM workforce initiatives for Tech Titans, was looking forward to the Talent Team’s biggest year yet in 2020: more events scheduled, in more schools for more kids and the launch of new events, all powered by a growing volunteer base and committed corporate sponsors. By the first week of March, volunteers had already logged a thousand-plus STEM inspirations for the year, for a total of nearly 15,000 since the initiative began.
