Science Museum hosts STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities Oct. 15
For immediate release ‐ October 03, 2024
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919-244-7913. Images available upon request
[RALEIGH, N.C.] — The great jobs of today and tomorrow are in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Yet people with disabilities remain underrepresented in these fields. To help turn the tide, the 11th annual STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities will be held in-person on Tuesday, October 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., hosted by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The Welcome and Keynote speeches will be streamed live via YouTube.
This free event is designed for students with disabilities in grades 6-12, and features a Keynote Speaker, Opportunity Fair, Panel Discussion and Breakout Sessions, where participants can directly engage with role models with disabilities who have thriving careers in STEAM fields.
Keynote Speaker: Kay McMillan is a self-proclaimed “disability rights hippie” and is the founding board chair of Youth LEAD NC. She graduated from NC State in 2017 with a degree in Political Science and minors in Nonprofit Studies and Accounting. She co-founded Youth LEAD NC in 2019 to reactivate the Youth Leadership Forum in North Carolina, a program that changed her life. Kay also serves on the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Panelists:
Shannon Garner is an award-winning instructor at Ablr who excels in leading Accessibility Analyst and Assistive Technology training programs. With a talent for developing course materials, she adeptly provides live training, enhancing technology skills and accessibility awareness for people with disabilities.
Jay Pande is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at NC State. Jay’s research involves the use of AI to support adaptive learning environments that embrace principles of universal design for learning. He is also passionate about increasing the participation of people with disabilities in computer science.
Exhibitors include the NC Division of Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities, NC ABLE Program, Arts Access North Carolina, SAS, NC State Catalyst, NC State Geo-Institute Graduate Student Organization, Duke Gardens and the NC Museum of Art.
For more information or to register for the in-person event, visit naturalsciences.org/steam (registration is free but required). For additional questions, contact Coordinator of Accessibility Sam Frigerio (samantha.frigerio@naturalsciences.org / 919-707-9824). This year’s STEAM Showcase is Sponsored by Savvas with additional support from Labcorp, SAS and the Vaught family.
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