Standing on Business: STEM Business workshop at OSU-Tulsa prepares the next generation of entrepreneurs

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Media Contact: Aaron Campbell | OSU-Tulsa Communications Coordinator | 918-594-8046 | aaron.ross.campbell@okstate.edu

Tulsa-area middle and high school students got a chance to explore their creative minds by designing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) products and building businesses to market them at OSU-Tulsa this month.

The free two-part STEM Business workshops, sponsored by and in partnership with Williams Companies, Inc., included 30 selected students from schools near OSU-Tulsa’s campus. Participants learned about the relationship between businesses and STEM through special guest speakers and hands-on activities.

“Business career paths are becoming increasingly connected with STEM, especially through technology,” said Rachel Cox, OSU-Tulsa School of Accounting Tulsa program coordinator and instructor of professional practice in the Spears School of Business. “We want to show students the value of learning the language of business.”

Students heard from guest speakers and learned about the connections between STEM fields, accounting, entrepreneurship and the legacy of Black Wall Street before creating a business to market a STEM invention of their own, judged by a panel of mock-investors for prizes.

“Community workshops like this underscore OSU's position as the state's leader in workforce-based tech education,” Cox said. “By highlighting how business disciplines like accounting complement technical expertise, we’re preparing students for diverse roles that support our growing tech industry.”

STEM Business is one of many technology workforce initiatives at OSU-Tulsa designed to show K-12 students paths to in-demand jobs in growing fields. As part of OSU Polytech, which also includes OSU Institute of Technology and OSU Oklahoma City, OSU-Tulsa is committed to providing innovative, applied learning experiences that drive economic growth in northeastern Oklahoma.

“Events like this one reflect our land-grant mission to provide accessible education and honor the legacy of entrepreneurship here in the historic Greenwood District,” said Nekki Reagan-Neeley, assistant vice president of OSU-Tulsa Community Engagement and Student Services. “We’re in the business of sharpening minds and strengthening our communities. Because when we work together to cultivate practical skills and knowledge in Tulsa-area students, we’re investing a better future for the families, businesses and communities around us.”

The STEM Business workshops were possible thanks to the collaboration of OSU-Tulsa Community Engagement, the OSU School of Accounting, STEM Force and Williams.

For more information about free community engagement events like this one, visit the OSU-Tulsa community events calendar at tulsa.okstate.edu/community/events.html.