s part of our American Studies class focusing on the Great Depression Era, we have a special episode today featuring an interview with my 94-year-old grandmother. During the interview, she shares about her life growing up during the Great Depression, and her experiences during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, which included going through the Depression and World War II.

This week I had a conversation with Grant Buckner, who serves as the Northern Basin Watershed Manager at Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. Our discussion primarily focused on the various measures that Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation undertakes to conserve, safeguard, and refurbish the river, and how they leverage science, technology, engineering, and math to achieve their objectives. 

In a recent podcast with a financial advisor, Cameron Boles, we discuss the importance of having the ability to integrate all skills such as calculus, statistics, and communication in the financial industry. We also talk about having a mindset of continuous learning in all careers so that we are able to stay up to date on new patterns, trends, and resources. 

My interview this week was with Onee Presley, owner and graphic designer at Sterling Group, based in Nebo, North Carolina. In this episode, we discuss how graphic designers implement all the components of STEM, including art, which is sometimes referred to as STEAM. During our conversation, we also discuss how chemistry works into some of the areas of her business that the general public may not know about.

In this episode of Instructional Insider, I talk with Justin Fleming. He is a former NCSSM student and is now our Deputy Chief Information Officer at NCSSM. We discuss how his educational and career paths led him to some of the most well-know universities and companies such as UNC, Duke, MIT, and Apple. We reminisce about past technology fads and how technology and IT have changed over the past 20 years.

This podcast features an interview with Scotty Powell, a meteorologist at WBTW in Myrtle Beach, SC. Scotty started his career in his hometown of Morganton, NC and shares how he combines science, math, and technology to map weather patterns. He also discusses how data is coded with Python programs, which our students here at NCSSM-Morganton can understand and relate to. Tune in for the full discussion!

Today I talked with Chet Effler, Division Chief NC Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations. He gave me some really good insight into areas of insurance investigations. He also discussed careers such as actuaries and metallurgists. Using the investigation process in classrooms could be a great way to get students authentically engaged in the classroom. We also highlight the end of J-Term on our campus. 

Today on the podcast, we have a special guest: my husband Russell. He's going to talk about how his job as an asset protection coach for Walmart requires him to use STEM skills on a regular basis. Data science is a big part of his job, and he's going to share some insights with us about how he uses it to make profitable decisions for his store.

After a long, restful winter break our NCSSM-Morganton campus is back in full swing. Our students and faculty began the first J-Term on our new campus. As I visit and get a taste of J-Term over the next month, I will highlight all the unique learning opportunities that our students and faculty are experiencing. While it sounds like all fun, I can say that thanks to our amazing faculty, our students are learning just as much through their J-Term classes while gaining experiences like none other.