Museum hosts third annual STEM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities
For immediate release ‐ September 22, 2015
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
RALEIGH — The great jobs of tomorrow will be in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). People with disabilities are currently underrepresented in these fields despite recent advances in the accessibility of information technology and other tools used by working professionals.
Register your student (by September 30) to attend the 3rd annual STEM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities, held Friday, October 9 from 10am to 1pm at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, where attendees will meet role models with disabilities who have thriving careers in STEM fields. The event, held in collaboration with analytics software company, SAS, will give students a better understanding of the many professional possibilities available and the inspiration to pursue STEM careers.
What’s on the agenda?
Dean Hines, an astrophysicist with the Space Telescope Science Institute at the University of New Mexico, will deliver the keynote address on how to achieve success in STEM fields while living with a disability. A panel of STEM role models with disabilities will follow the keynote. The moderator will be Sina Bahram, president of Prime Access Consulting and a PhD candidate at NC State University. Panelists include: David Hamrick, a meteorologist at NOAA; David Tseng, a computer scientist at Google; Sara Pruteanu, a cancer researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Cary Supalo, a chemist at Purdue University; and Ben Thompson, an MD student at the University of North Carolina.
An Opportunity Fair follows the program and provides students and their chaperones a chance to learn about, and talk to representatives on, several different agencies that work with students with disabilities that are interested in STEM fields. Plus, back by popular demand, breakout sessions are offered to give students a chance to interact in small groups or one-on-one settings with the panelists, moderator and keynote speaker.
Who should attend?
This event is for academic students with disabilities in grades 6-12 who are performing at or near grade level. Students must have a chaperone to attend. Attendees are automatically entered for a chance to win raffle items ranging from an iPad 2 to Carolina RailHawks tickets to a behind-the-scenes tour of the NC Aquarium at Ft Fisher.
How do I sign up?
The Showcase is free but registration is required. Online registration is open through September 30. For more information or to reserve your spot, visit naturalsciences.org/stemshowcase. This is an intimate event with space limited to 300 students; registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.