This week's guest is a highly-trained robotics bomb technician with a four-legged partner.  Michelle Tye has been protecting her community, first as a police officer, and then as a bomb technician at a major metropolitan airport.  Chances are if you've ever flown anywhere, she and her colleagues have been watching your back.  This important work challenges her physically and mentally while stretching her to stay on the cutting edge of technology, all which she absolutely loves.  Michelle made the decision to take on the challenging bomb squad training because, although she was afraid that she would fail, she didn’t want to not do it and not know if she could.

 

 

 

 

 

This edition's guest, Matt Fetrow, is the Director of the Tech Engagement Office at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in New Mexico.  Matt is always looking for innovative ways to solve Air Force problems working in collaboration with entrepreneurs and businesses. He hopes that these relationships will become the norm rather than the exception, and has invested resources to ensure this is happening.  He is a great example of someone who has paired both science and business to create a rewarding career in STEM! Join us in welcoming Matt to the microphone!

 

Show Notes

Matt Fetrow is the Director of the Tech Engagement Office at the Air Force Research Laboratory in New Mexico.  He leads the laboratory’s technology transfer, STEM outreach, commercialization, innovation, and community engagement activities in the state.   In addition, Matt has led numerous technology programs for the Air Force with a focus on space remote sensing, laser remote sensing, and advanced photonics.  Prior to his years of federal service, he worked in optical systems research and development at industry startups and in academia.  Matt received his B.S. in Physics from Utah State University and his M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts. 

Air Force Research Lab

Enterprize Challenge

Hyperspace Challenge

Mission to Mars

New Mexico STEM Signing Day

AFRL Scholars Program

 

Book Recommendations:

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman

 

Contact:

 [email protected]

This week’s guest is Steve Goodgame who is the Executive Director of the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.  He is passionate about teaching students to code at a young age and uses the Botball competition as a tool to do just that.  Like us, Steve’s desire is to help teachers meet the challenges of implementing STEM in the classroom so that there can be sustainability.  Most weeks you will find Steve and his wife, Carol, traveling throughout the country in support of the Botball program that can be found at almost 1300 schools in 39 states and 7 countries.  Luckily for us, we were able to find him sitting still for an hour to talk about how his program is impacting STEM enrichment in the Southwest!

 

Show Notes

Steve Goodgame is the Executive Director for the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics (Institute), a not-for-profit educational organization that uses hands-on robotics programs in order to communicate the excitement, knowledge, and practical understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Prior to joining the Institute, Steve served as an educator in several schools where he organized and coached a number of teams in various robotic-related programs and competitions such as BEST, FIRST, and Botball. 

KISS Institute for Practical Robotics

Botball

Junior Botball Challenge

PATHFINDERS Summer Institute

 

Book Recommendations:

A Framework for Understanding Poverty - A Cognitive Approach, by Ruby K. Payne

 

Contact:

Steve Goodgame, [email protected]

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

Flickr

There are STEM rockstars all over the Southwest and today's guest is one of them.  He is also a STEM evangelist and striving to make our programs more inclusive.  While we just recently met Shawn Hardina, our perspectives and experiences in STEM enrichment are parallel; us in New Mexico and him in Arizona.  He has a lot of great ideas on how we can radically change STEM education and make a difference in our future workforce so listen in here!

 

Show Notes

Shawn Hardina has been asking hard questions, solving problems, and challenging the status quo his entire life.  Having been successful in school, but not particularly fond of the traditional education process, Shawn decided to become a science teacher to transform education and make it something that he wished he had growing up.  Shawn has been on this journey ever since. 

Shawn has been in education for 27 years as a science and CTE teacher and a FIRST and VEX robotics coach and mentor.  He has a wide range of experiences having been a K – 6 Science and Literacy instructional coach, a certified Kagan Cooperative learning instructor, keynote speaker, a community college and university education instructor, National Board Certified in Chemistry, a Project Lead The Way Biomedical Sciences Master Teacher, and entrepreneur.

In 2014, while still teaching, Shawn founded the East Valley Robotics Academy to provide robotics experiences for families in Arizona, which was bought out by STAX3D in 2016.  Using his personal experiences and struggles as a catalyst, in January 2019, Shawn created Innovation Tech LLC to utilize his robotics experiences to bring together education, career exploration, workforce development, and economic development; and to specifically help create opportunity and bring more inclusion, socially and economically, to individuals with disabilities.

FIRST

STAX3D

Empowerment Through Sports

 

Book Recommendations:

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant

Boston Consulting Group

Stanford Social Innovation Review

IBM iX (Brand Belonging)

 

Contact:

Shawn Hardina,

[email protected]

(928) 279-2018

LinkedIn

Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In our New Economy, where innovation and ideas are exploding, it’s important for STEM professionals to understand the different ways to protect their intellectual property.  Today’s guest, Richard Krukar, will share his tips and experience on this important issue.

Show Notes

Richard Krukar worked as a Research and Development engineer on both coasts and in the State of New Mexico after receiving a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.  Richard moved to intellectual property law to see if it was fun and has spent the past 14 years as a lawyer. He Indicates that “it's been a life of building wonderful machines, writing elegant code, and helping others protect their own creations.”

Loza and Loza LLP

Richard Krukar

United States Patent and Trademark Office

World Intellectual Property Organization

The "Alice" decision

Becoming a Patent Attorney

 

Book Recommendation:

Toy of the Gods, by Sonja Dewing

Rule 34, by Charles Stross

Books by Stephen Baxter

Inancu v. Brunetti

 

Contact:

Richard Krukar,

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an effort to build the STEM Southwest Workforce, Albuquerque science museum, EXPLORA, is making a strong investment in teens and workforce education.  Leading the initiative is Allison Brody who shares her personal STEM journey, and the variety of programs and the exciting initiatives that we can be looking for at our family’s all-time favorite children's museum.  Allison has been a science educator for more than 20 years and listeners will be excited by her knowledge and passion for STEM educational programming.

Show Notes

Allison Brody, Director of STEM Education and Workforce Development, oversees the development and implementation of a variety of programs and community engagement initiatives, including training and educational programming, for formal and informal audiences throughout New Mexico.  Allison came to the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she was a project manager at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the Clark County Wetlands Park.  She has been a passionate informal science educator for more than 20 years, including working at the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Society.  Allison holds a B.S. in Biology, an M.S. in Ecology and a D.A. in Biological Education. 

Explora Science Center and Children's Museum

New Mexico Science Fiesta

Teen Night at Explora

The Pear Institute

 

Book Recommendation:

Flight Behavior: A Novel, by Barbara Kinghodler

 

Contact:

[email protected]

In this weeks episode, we talk with Parker, an amazing high school student working on creating and building a miniature satellite to launch into space! This young woman is not afraid of hard challenges and will inspire listeners young and old. She proves that young people really want to be challenged by hard things and that the only limit is what we think of ourselves.   Listeners can be a part of her project; just listen in to learn how!     Show Notes

Parker is a rising junior in high school.  She has been interested in STEM for as long as she can remember, especially Aerospace Engineering.  She was recently accepted into a highly selective program at her school named the Odyssey Scholars Program, a two-year program in which students do an in-depth study of a subject of their choice.  For this program, she will be building a CubeSat, or a miniaturized satellite, that will measure the magnetic field of the Earth.

Strandbeest

Theo Jansen

Lego Mindstorms EV3

Ender 3 3D-Printer

Prusa i3 MK3

CubeSat

Interorbital Systems (IOS)

Space Mission Analysis and Design, 3rd edition (Space Technology Library, Vol. 8), by Wiley J. Larson and James R. Wertz

 

Contact:

[email protected] (use this email if you would like to support Parker)

 

Dr. Vincent P. Clark is an expert in Neuropsychology.  With an interest in brain stimulation for neuroenhancement and brain stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain, addiction, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and motor illness, Dr. Clark and his team are making a real difference in the way that we use science to heal.  Join us as we explore thoughts and ideas of how to harness the power of our brains with this week’s scientist.

Show Notes

Dr. Vincent P. Clark, Professor of Translational Neuroscience, has worked with the Mind Research Network (MRN) as Director of Neuroscience, then as Scientific Director recruiting scientists and helping MRN to increase its grant portfolio by expanding into new areas of research such as addiction, accelerated learning, and multimodal imaging.  In association with the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico where he is Founding Director of the new Clinical Neuroscience Center, he and his associates investigate the relationship between mind and brain.

Mind Research Network

Dr. Vincent Clark

2019 BrainSTIM Meeting

 

Contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]) – also use for volunteers for research studies

Dr. Vincent P. Clark is an expert in Neuropsychology.  With an interest in brain stimulation for neuroenhancement and brain stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain, addiction, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and motor illness, Dr. Clark and his team are making a real difference in the way that we use science to heal.  Join us as we explore thoughts and ideas of how to harness the power of our brains with this week’s scientist.

Show Notes

Dr. Vincent P. Clark, Professor of Translational Neuroscience, has worked with the Mind Research Network (MRN) as Director of Neuroscience, then as Scientific Director recruiting scientists and helping MRN to increase its grant portfolio by expanding into new areas of research such as addiction, accelerated learning, and multimodal imaging.  In association with the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico where he is Founding Director of the new Clinical Neuroscience Center, he and his associates investigate the relationship between mind and brain.

Mind Research Network

Dr. Vincent Clark

2019 BrainSTIM Meeting

 

Contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]) – also use for volunteers for research studies

This special episode of STEM Southwest is hosted by Shelly along with daughters Makenzie and Bethany.  Today we celebrate the power of STEM Moms!

 

Show Notes

Ulrika Peroni, Professional Water Skier and mom coach of ‘Da Swedish Fish,' a team that competes in VEX robotics VRC competition.  Da Swedish Fish took robotics on the road that has led to an adventure across the country participating in robotics while traveling in a motorhome.  They turned to the robotics community for help when she had an accident while traveling that has become a real blessing to their family.  Ulrika shares how their journey has helped them to form new friendships, deepen sibling ties, and make a difference in the lives of kids she knows that were challenged.

 

 

Gwen Valentino, Massage Therapist and mom coach of the First Lego League H.O.T. Squad.   They will also participate this summer in the Apollo Competition.  “Forced” by her daughter to start a team over a trophy, this mom’s story is inspiring. Learning that competition is both offensive and defensive and has helped to grow their character and strengthen their resolve.  She shares her belief that robotics competitions are reflective of the real world and opportunities to seek out powerful mentor relationships.  Gwen’s favorite outcome of competitive robotics is how her child has come out of her shell and is no longer afraid to communicate with others and mentor other teams.

 

 

Kim Edgar is a Molecular Biologist and owner of Science From the Very Beginning.  This STEM Mom who confesses about being “spatially challenged” helped to start a BEST Robotics team, R4Robotics, in hopes that it would capture her son’s interest in building.  In the end. Dustin found a different kind of passion through his involvement, and his sister, Abbey, would eventually pursue a career as a technical writer for Raytheon.  Kim shares their story and how BEST robotics was a vehicle to launch her kids into their life careers and impact their professional lives.