Building Bridges Through STEM
The pandemic revealed many inequities in our education system, particularly in terms of access to technology. The transition to virtual school was relatively easy for me as I attended a private school in Michigan, and both my school and family had the appropriate resources to support my education.
On the other hand, many underserved students in Detroit, Michigan (which is only 20 miles away from my home city, Troy) were struggling to gain access to technology and therefore, their education. 30% of the population in Detroit lives below the poverty line, so many couldn’t afford access to the internet, while others didn’t have access to smart devices.
As a result, I decided to help. I expressed my desire to my mom’s friend who contacted Amazon who readily agreed to provide iPads for my cause. Additionally, I was able to raise more than 3000 STEM books for students from three different Detroit schools. The students were very grateful and used the equipment for their daily work.
In December of 2020, I started my own virtual STEM club, which runs every Saturday evening on Zoom. As I love to read, I wanted to share my joy of reading with others, and to make this experience both fun and educational, I combined literacy with STEM. My club is called S-I-M-R-A-N (Science, Innovation, Math, Reading, Art, eNgineering) STEM Club, and features students from 6 - 12 years of age. It began with just 4 students and has grown to 30 in a short period of time. The goal of this club is to provide a safe space to discuss STEM. Each week, we read a story and explore the STEM within it. For example, one week, we read a book called Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals which described the functions of earthworms and how they are important to us. Afterwards, we discussed the structure and functions of earthworms, and I even demonstrated the dissection of an earthworm to my club.
“I was impressed by the questions that you and your friends came up with. It is wonderful that you are pursuing knowledge. I was also impressed by your consideration of the possibility of administering vaccines orally.”
I have also invited expert guest speakers to my STEM club. These include: the wonderful microbiologist Dr Marilynn Fairfax; Annie Ostojic, a budding engineer and researcher at Stanford University; the space and coding enthusiast Bhavi; Farah Qaiser, who is a genomics researcher at Ontario University; Dr Steven Lerner, a specialist in infectious disease, and several others. The speakers have enjoyed taking part in my STEM club and have great things to say about it. Dr Lerner said, “I was impressed by the questions that you and your friends came up with. It is wonderful that you are pursuing knowledge. I was also impressed by your consideration of the possibility of administering vaccines orally.” Farah Qaiser tweeted, “Last night, I spoke to Simran’s STEM Club — a group of young girls who have so many questions about science. They were tuning in on a Saturday evening from all over. There was even one person tuning in from a car ride! I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
“Last night, I spoke to Simran’s STEM Club — a group of young girls who have so many questions about science. They were tuning in on a Saturday evening from all over. There was even one person tuning in from a car ride! I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Additionally, with the help of Toronto Student Media Network, I am converting every STEM session into a podcast which will be accessible to thousands of students throughout the world at any time they like. Here is an example of one of my podcasts:
Through my STEM club and STEM podcast, I am targeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education and 10: Reduced Inequalities. SDG 4 ensures equitable and inclusive quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all. SDG 10 focuses on reducing inequalities within and among countries.
I feel I have inspired my club members to love STEM through the weekly sessions. We look forward to a new journey into the world of STEM every week. When I surveyed my club members to get their feedback, 90% of the members said the club had sparked their interest in STEM fields and 100% of the members said they were likely or very likely to recommend the club to others. 100% of the members rated the club as either good, very good or excellent. More and more members of the club want to pursue STEM fields in the future. I envision my club to keep growing and building bridges amongst the youth of today.
I would like to welcome students from around the globe to my club. I believe we can build a stronger community through STEM. To join my STEM club please email me at simranadnani7@gmail.com.
