35 NC special needs high school students to visit Puerto Rico, get field experience in STEM
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Some North Carolina students with disabilities are getting a taste of what it’s like to pursue a career in STEM as they work towards a future that beats the statistics.
“People with disabilities are the greatest natural resource wasted in our country,” said Joann Blumenfeld, Director for The Science House’s Catalyst and GIST programs at N.C. State. “Most of our famous scientists and engineers have disabilities, from Einstein to Edison to Temple Grandin and Stephen Hawking.”
The Catalyst program creates free STEM opportunities for high school students with disabilities. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. It is funded through N.C. Vocational Rehabilitation.
As part of the program, students can acquire paid STEM internships, get ready for college or the workforce and go on field studies.
In just a few weeks, Blumenfeld and 35 students are visiting the International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico, funded by Dominion Energy, ABB, Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, Rossi Fund, Red Hat and N.C. Vocational Rehabilitation.
They’ll get to meet scientists like them and get hands-on experience with the latest research.
Students practicing for their trip to the rainforest (N.C. State Catalyst Program) Students practicing for their trip to the rainforest (N.C. State Catalyst Program) Students practicing for their trip to the rainforest (N.C. State Catalyst Program) International Institute of Tropical Forestry (USDA Forestry Service) International Institute of Tropical Forestry (International Institute of Tropical Forestry)
The goal is to set the students up for success, in a world where 80-percent of Americans between the ages 24-to-64 with disabilities are unemployed, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“They work with STEM professionals in research environments and they know they can do it. They also start to visualize themselves in these positions,” Blumenfeld explained.
When the students come back, they will share what they learned with visitors at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. They will also present at conferences.
Blumenfeld says that this type of experience and opportunity helps these kids succeed.
“We have a deficit in North Carolina and across the nation in stem workforce, and these are the kids that can help meet those deficit needs and be the great innovators of the future,” Blumenfeld said.
The Science Center at N.C. State is holding a STEM and Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 6 for students k-12 with disabilities.
Click here to learn more about the STEM and Resource Fair.
Click here to learn more about the Catalyst program.
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