In League with STEM (science, engineering, technology, and math) was honored by the Champaign County Community Coalition for their early impact on students at local middle and high schools. In League with STEM is a GIANT grantee team collaborating with East Central Illinois Youth for Christ’s Midnight Basketball Program, a community organization directed by Pastor Willie Comer. The partnership aims to foster STEM interest among local Black middle and high school students through exposure to hands-on design activities and mentorship by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and STEM professionals. In League with STEM is led by Caleb Bruhn, PhD student in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) and Amos Jeng, PhD student in Educational Psychology, and mentored by Dr. Angela Green-Miller, Associate Professor of ABE. Team members so far have included: Julian Martinez, undergraduate student – Natural Resources & Environmental Science; Kendall Koe, PhD student - Computer Science; Leah Fields, undergraduate student – ABE; Bee Mensing, undergraduate student – double major in Political Science and Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability; and Dr. Gerald Wilson, Director of Entrepreneurship – EnterpriseWorks. In League with STEM engages with students at Centennial High School, Jefferson Middle School, Franklin STEAM Academy, Edison Middle School, and Central High School on a weekly basis over the students’ lunch hour helping them understand fundamentals in STEM, with special application to agriculture. Students have had the opportunity to learn coding for robots, plant and harvest spinach, and visit the local Yahoo! office. In the fall 2023 semester, In League with STEM engaged with 383 students.
In addition to the STEM activities, students have had the opportunity to hear stories from volunteer STEM professionals about their personal academic and professional journeys. The speakers have included Dr. Gerald Wilson, Director of Entrepreneurship – EnterpriseWorks, Dr. James Gibert, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering – Purdue University; Dr. Kelvin Wynn, Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine – University of Illinois Chicago; Ryan Wolfe, MBA – CEO of WearWolfe LLC., and Neelan Coleman, Product Manager – Yahoo! These conversations have been inspirational to the students and expands their aspirations of pursuing STEM degrees and careers in the future.