What Happens When Politics Halts a Transformative Student STEM Project?
+ How to "Break the Cycle" & Help Students Fulfill Their STEM Future
Yesterday, I joined a call that was supposed to provide an uplifting update on the progress of a collaboration I helped start in my classroom between the chief of pediatric pulmonology at a major university and Futures Ignite, an organization I support that works to provide students with STEM leadership opportunities.
Our work together, which has seen students become participants in a research study measuring lung function, researchers trained to collect data using advanced scientific tools, and presenters of their research at an upcoming conference, is a living and breathing representation of everything I write about in Learning Environment.
Our collaboration speaks to the power of what can happen when students from underrepresented backgrounds are supported by like-minded partners, provided with opportunities to pursue their interests, collect data from their environment, and advocate for change (in this case, improved air quality conditions) in their community.
The experiences I write about in Learning Environment and the collaboration example described above make learning meaningful for students, providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to be better prepared for college and their careers.
It removes barriers.
It unlocks doors.
It smashes past gatekeepers and provides opportunities that appeared once inaccessible or even unimaginable to become real.
The work represents what it means to create a learning environment that is responsive to young people's (and our society’s) needs.
And sadly, as of this moment, it has come to an abrupt stop.
On our call yesterday, our university partner informed our group that all funding (funding that had already been secured from a Federal grant) could no longer be spent. This is a direct result of the incoming Trump administration's slew of executive orders—a purposeful creation of chaos with real-world consequences for individuals and children.
Because of the funding freeze, two students primed to present their inspiring work at an upcoming conference (they would have been the youngest in attendance as the conference is geared towards college students) are in jeopardy.
Can you imagine having to be the adult who informs these two kids that their trip has been postponed?
Can you imagine their response?
I can because I have experienced similar circumstances in the classroom firsthand.
These students, who have been subconsciously signaled by society that they and their community are less than, will quietly accept this new reality.
Because the air they breathe is polluted more.
Because the schools they attend are crumbling and overcrowded.
Because the blocks they traverse each day are riddled with litter, syringes, and cracked concrete.
Sadly, these students are used to being disappointed and overlooked.
However, we do not need to let this happen.
We can speak out within and outside our networks that what is happening in our government is illegal and unjust.
We can share our personal stories about students, family members, and organizations we are intimately familiar with being harmed. We can resist the rising tide of authoritarianism and threats to the rule of law because the foundation of our country is at risk, and we, as citizens, are obliged to respond.
We can also ensure that the two students at the center of this post can attend their upcoming conference and fulfill their STEM-centric dreams. We can acknowledge them for their hard work and support them on the journey that may yet come.
To do so, please consider donating to Futures Ignite, the organization helping arrange student travel (tag your donation with the aptly named conference title “Break the Cycle”).
Thank you for considering, and in solidarity,
Jared