OSU CEAT K-12 STEM program making an impact across Oklahoma

Friday, August 2, 2024

Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | desa.james@okstate.edu

Louie Lopez, director of Department of Defense Science, Technology, Engineering and Math from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, visited the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology’s STEM program this week to explore what opportunities Oklahoma State University was providing for Oklahoma students.  

In 2021, Dr. Paul Tikalsky, Regents Service Professor and Don and Cathey Humphreys Endowed Chair, was awarded $6 million, the largest university grant in the National Defense Education Program from the U.S. DoD. Since then, over 40,000 students ranging from pre-K through 12th grade have been provided with engaging, hands-on activities that inspire and prepare them to pursue career paths that are vital to the nation’s safety and success.  

The Department of Defense employs roughly 300,000 STEM professionals across the United States.

“We are committed to building our nation’s future, and that starts with investing into the youth of our communities,” Lopez said. 

Several OSU alumni came to speak with Lopez, sharing how OSU led them to a successful career and seeing what the DoD STEM grant was allowing the university to offer to the next generation.  

CEAT’s K-12 DoD STEM program offers camps and outreach opportunities across Oklahoma. Lopez toured three of these during his visit this week.  

One camp was held at the new Garden Oaks Community Center. This center is run by the Alpha Community Foundation of Oklahoma, a nonprofit organization established by members of the  Beta Eta Lambda Alumni Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. The 21,000-square-foot building was acquired in July 2021 and has undergone significant renovations thanks to generous community members’ monetary and labor donations. The center is designed to offer civic engagement, educational outreach, health and wellness, and community service to the northeast Oklahoma City community.

The center was buzzing with students working on catapults, jumping robots and even building FM radios. 

Councilwoman and Senator-elect Nikki Nice expressed gratitude for the partnership between the Garden Oaks Community Center and CEAT. 

“What is happening here speaks to the lives that have been changed and will continue to change through programs like these,” Nice said. 

Lopez also visited a Boys and Girls Club in Oklahoma City, where OSU students were teaching second graders about rockets. He then traveled to Stillwater and toured the ENDEAVOR lab, which hosted a STEM camp where students learned robotics, computing, and basic engineering skills.  

At these camps, OSU uses a near-peer teaching style. Attendees are taught by college students who look like their older brother or sister, which makes them more comfortable and willing to interact.  

The DoD aims to provide multiple pathways to STEM careers for pre-K through Ph. D.-level students. The goal is that their affinity for math and science will grow through programs like CEAT’s K-12 STEM DoD.  

“The hope is that they will go on to work in the defense sector, but even in universities and industry where they can play a part in keeping the nation safe,” Lopez said.  

Lopez also shared scholarship opportunities that the DoD offers like the SMART scholarship for service program with camp attendees and OSU students. This combined educational and workforce development opportunity for STEM students offers full tuition, a living stipend, internships and a career.  

While the program focuses on providing basic engineering skills, it also focuses on another skill: grit. Tikalsky notes that they focus on building students’ confidence to continue trying even after failure because that is when they learn and grow.  

“It's about the perseverance you have to get to the answers, knowing that there is a way to solve the problem—that it’s not insurmountable,” Tikalsky said.