The theme of this year’s conference was Earth Science, with a special focus on equipping children with the tools necessary to problem-solve, innovate, and create change in a world with endless solutions.

It’s no coincidence that just days before the conference, Pasadena experienced a near record-breaking heatwave followed by plunging temperatures that brought on a flash hailstorm with pea-size ice pellets and gusty winds. At Academy, students in the Kitchen Chemistry 2 class excitedly put their gummy bear experiment on pause to step out onto the front porch and take in the wintery scene.

Students take a break to  investigate ice falling from the sky during Kitchen Chemistry 2.

The ECSTEM conference offered similar opportunities to learn from nature’s wonders, including keynote speakers and children’s book authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, who read from their book, I Am The Storm.

“A tornado, a blizzard, a forest fire, and a hurricane are met, in turn, with resilience and awe in this depiction of nature’s power and our own. In the face of our shifting climate, young children everywhere are finding themselves subject to unfamiliar and often frightening extreme weather (Yolen, 2019).”

This richly illustrated book told from the perspective of four children who find themselves adapting to extreme weather events thoughtfully depicts the call to shelter, swirl of emotions, and eventual passing of danger that leaves each child feeling as strong as nature itself.

If you haven’t read the book for yourself or in the company of a child, I recommend it. The final pages will have you chanting,

“I am loud like the tornado.

I am wild like the blizzard.

I am hot like the fire.

I am fierce like the hurricane.

I am the storm.

And when the storm passes,

as it always does,

I am the calm, too.”

Below you will find a list of resources from ECSTEM and other STEM-field experts that provide our young people of today with developmentally appropriate, culturally inclusive, real-world learning opportunities that are on the cutting edge of tomorrow.

ECSTEM

JPL/NASA

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Science Education.

•  (free downloadable pdf available)

And if you happened to miss Pasadena’s recent ice shower, here is how you can make your own !

The current best-selling book, , chronicles the thrilling story of a group of groundbreaking scientists whose string of discoveries launched a scientific revolution that will make possible medical miracles including the ability to fight off viruses, cure diseases and have healthier babies.  We are grateful for one of those miracles as we receive our COVID-19 vaccine shots and see hope for an end to the pandemic.  It is not surprising that the importance of gifted and talented education is noted in the book. 

Feng Shang, who immigrated from China to America with his mother at the age of 10, began his path to biology in the 1990s with his Des Moines, Iowa middle school’s Gifted and Talented Program.  He recalls that initially through his regular school science classes he thought biology was uninteresting.  He found activities such as dissecting a frog on a tray to identify its heart unchallenging and the curriculum was focused on memorization.  In contrast, his gifted and talented program featured a regular Saturday enrichment class in molecular biology that focused on DNA and how RNA carried out its instructions with an emphasis on the important role of enzymes in the process. He was able to do many hands-on experiments including one that transformed bacteria to make them resistant to antibiotics.  This class inspired his eagerness to learn and discover in the field of biology.  For high schoolers, Des Moines had a gifted and talented program called STING (Science/Technology Investigations: The Next Generation), which allowed talented students to work at local hospitals and research institutions.  Zhang’s Saturday teacher helped him get selected to work at the gene therapy lab of Methodist Hospital.  He had the opportunity to work with a molecular biologist who assigned Zhang progressively sophisticated experiments.  One of these experiments deconstructed the HIV virus and examined how each of the components worked.  Part of the goal of the Des Moines Gifted and Talented Program was to help students compete in the Intel Science Talent Search, a national competition.  Zhang’s virus experiment won him third place and $50,000 which he used to help pay tuition for the next step of his education journey at Harvard University.  Today, at only 39 years old, he is considered one of the most transformative biologists of his generation.

Feng Zhang is a prime example of the impact that gifted and talented programs can have on turning American students into world-class scientists.  Gifted children need a much more challenging education than can be offered in the regular classroom.  Gifted and talented programs such as those offered at the Institute for Educational Advancement, provide advanced enrichment classes and workshops that fill a critical gap in our public education curriculum. These challenging and creative programs focus on a wide variety of STEM and other topics taught by experts from such institutions and organizations as Caltech, NASA, Harvard University, Art Center College of Design and Walt Disney Animation. Our high potential youth are the scientists, innovators, engineers and leaders of our nation’s future and the educational opportunities they receive make a difference in their ability to reach for their full academic and personal potential.  Gifted and talented education programs provide the support and inspiration our brightest students need to thrive and reach for the stars.

Augusta Savage (1892-1962) was a brilliant artist who refused to allow racism to force her to keep her gifts to herself. Augusta grew up in Florida, and though her family could not afford toys or art supplies, Augusta found a way to make incredible creations by using dirt from her backyard as clay for her sculptures. When Augusta was in her 20s, she moved to New York to participate in the Harlem Renaissance, and she ended up dedicating her life to teaching young people how to cultivate their artistic gifts. Augusta founded the Savage School of Arts and Crafts and became the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center. She has received acclaim for a sculpture entitled Lift Every Voice and Sing (aka The Harp).

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895), one of my favorite women from history, was bold enough to apply to an all-white medical school all the way back in 1860. Not only was she accepted, but she also became the first female African American medical doctor in the United States. About 300 out of 50,000 physicians in America were women, and only Rebecca was Black. Her work began in Boston, where she primarily specialized in the care of women and children, but after the Civil War, Rebecca moved to Virginia, where she served with the Freedman’s Bureau. She was met with intense hostility and racism, but she devoted herself to providing medical care to freed slaves who would otherwise not have access. The little we know of Dr. Crumpler comes from her published work, A Book of Medical Discourses, which focuses on women’s health and infant care.

Mary Bowser (born around 1840):ĚýConfederate president Jefferson Davis knew there was a mole in the White House – someone was leaking valuable information about the confederacy to union officials. No one suspected it could be Mary Bowser, a genius spy with a photographic memory, whose acting skills landed her a job as a servant for the president. She pretended to be unintelligent and simple – no one knew she could read, and her boss certainly didn’t suspect that she could read a page and recite it back from memory, a helpful skill for a spy.

Mary was born in Virginia and purchased by the Van Lew family, who were undercover abolitionists. When Mary was ten, they freed her and arranged for her to receive an education. During the Civil War, Elizabeth Van Lew (Mary’s former owner) organized a female spy ring, and Mary’s role was incredibly helpful in securing the Union’s victory.

After the war, Mary became an educator and a public speaker who operated under various aliases. She eventually disappeared, but she was inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame in 1995.

Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) was a math whiz. Katherine skipped seven grades as a child, and she ended up working at NASA (back then it was NACA) as a mathematician who was responsible for acting as an actual human calculator/computer. She worked at NACA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. During the “space race” – the period of time during the 50s and 60s when The U.S. and the Soviet Union were vying for the space spotlight (both countries hoped to be the first to send a man to the moon) – Katherine was in charge of calculating the flight path for America’s first space mission. In 1962, Katherine was called upon to calculate whether NASA’s new electronic computers had generated the correct equations for John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission – the first time an American would orbit the earth. John Glenn, wary of the new machines, asked NASA to “get the girl,” and when Katherine gave clearance, Glenn’s successful mission commenced. In 2015, President Barak Obama awarded Katherine with America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

While certain tasks or assignments may come easier for gifted students, it does not mean that they do not struggle or have setbacks. In many cases, due to the very high expectations gifted students set for themselves, they can face even greater challenges than other students. It is also a misconception that gifted students have a clear path set out for their future from a young age. Thus, it is important for these advanced learners to be able to read accounts of the challenges (academically and personally), inspirations and ultimately, triumphs of some the worlds’ most influential people.

Here’s a list of inspiring books about individuals who have made contributions in the areas of science, technology, literature and music:

Bill Gates is the co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation and philanthropist.

Book: Who is Bill Gates? (2013)Ěý by Patricia Brennan Demulth (author) and Ted Hammond (illustrator) details how a persistent and gifted young boy from Seattle became one of the leading entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. For younger readers.

Joshua Bell is an acclaimed violinist who made hisĚýĚýdebut at age 17 with theĚý. He has since performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and conductors and has recorded more than 30 classical albums.

Book: The Dance of the Violin (2017) byĚýĚý(author) and Ěý(illustrator) tells the story of a young Joshua Bell who challenges himself to play a difficultĚý piece of music at an international competition. During the performance he makes a mistake, but garners the courage to start again and put forth his best effort.Ěý For younger readers.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a Columbian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist affectionately known as Gabo or Gabito. He won the Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1982 and is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century.

Book: My Name is Gabito (2007) by Monica Brown (author) and Raul Colon (illustrator) beautifully chronicles Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s life from his childhood in Columbia to his later years as a celebrated author.Ěý For younger readers.

Sally Ride Ph.D was an AmericanĚýphysicistĚýandĚýastronaut. In 1983 she became the first U.S. woman to go into space.

Book: Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space (2014) byĚýĚýrecounts the story of the woman who broke gender barriers at NASA and went on to found Sally Ride Science, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting STEM literacy for young people. For teens and above (LGBT issues discussed).

Jane Goodall is a primatologist andĚýanthropologist. Considered to be the world’s foremost expert onĚýchimpanzees, she is best known for her over 55-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania.

Book: Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man (2008) by Dale Peterson details the triumphs and setbacks of Goodall’s life, including the private quest that led to her now-famous activism. For teens and above.

Carl Sagan Ph.D was an astronomer, writer, and creator of the television series, Cosmos that helped popularize science.

Book: Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos (1999) by William Poundstone recounts the life of a gifted young man whose interest in the stars and life on other planets propelled him to become science’s first authentic media superstar, making science accessible to the general public. For teens and above.

You can find more inspiring role models in the book, , Maurice E. Fisher Ph.D & Eugenia M. Fisher, Ed.D, Editors and Michael E. Walters, Ed.D & Harry T. Roman, M.S., Senior Writers.

Tell us who inspires you by sending your own book recommendations!

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Every gifted child has a unique story. The following story is the first in a series of posts highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ programs, depicting the many faces of gifted. ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ’s Ěý– mentioned in this story – links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant’s skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences.

Dr. Trevor Muirhead
ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ Apprentice in 1999
Resident at Henry Ford Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Michigan

Trevor Muirhead didn’t know what he should do the summer before his senior year that would stand out on his high school resume. It was Trevor’s school counselor at Long Beach Polytechnic High School that pitched him the idea of applying to the Institute for Educational Advancement’s brand new .

We introduced our Apprenticeship Program to Southern California high school students with one class in the summer of 1999. Robotics was being mentored by K.G. Engelhardt, a former Manager of Robotics for NASA and Director of the Center for Human Service Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University.

The one week residential session was held at the University of Southern California (USC). The Apprentices worked closely with Dr. Engelhardt to research, design and develop four wheel “service” robots using robotic kits and computer chips.

In addition to classroom time, the Apprentices visited some scientific and cultural landmarks in Los Angeles. One of the highlights for Trevor was the trip to the MarsYard at JPL in Pasadena. This sandy outdoor environment simulated the Martian landscape and was used to test different robotic prototypes. The Apprentices also visited museums and a local hospital where robots served patients their meals. To mark the end of the class, the Apprentices were given the task of programming their robots to dance in sync with each others’ robots.

Trevor graduated Valedictorian of his high school class in 2000 and went on to spend eight years at USC, completing his undergrad and medical school education there as part of the USC Baccalaureate/M.D. Program. Trevor’s college path enabled him to continue studying in areas he found interesting besides medicine (he double majored in biology and history). Trevor explained that in today’s med schools students are taking majors other than just science. “Do something you enjoy and enrich your education,” he said.

In 2003, he and two other USC undergrads won the top Humanities prize in the school’s Undergraduate Research Symposium (a university-wide scholarly competition) for their recreation of the ancient city of Troy. The team used photography, 3-D graphics, drawings, videos, web links and literature to develop an amazingly realistic replica of Troy that is still available for viewing at . Trevor said that in addition to the scholarship money he received by winning this prize, he was invited to visit George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. There was also an Ěýabout the Troy Project.

After graduating USC’s Medical School, Trevor interned at Olive View Hospital in Los Angeles in Internal Medicine. After the one year, 80-hour-per-week internship, he moved to Michigan to begin the three year Residency program in Dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital. As a Resident, Trevor works about 50 hours a week and spends a lot of outside work time studying and researching. His Residency involves treating all types of skin ailments including cancers, growths and infections of the hair, skin and nails. After finishing his Residency and passing the National Board Exams in Dermatology, Trevor plans to move back to Southern California and join a private practice later this summer.

“The Apprenticeship Program certainly played a significant role in influencing my education path, not that I pursued Robotics, but it fostered scientific exploration which I applied to other fields,” Trevor said. “Also, the Apprenticeship Program introduced me to USC, and without it I very well may have attended another university which would have likely altered both my career and life paths.”

An interview with Trevor and his classmate about their Troy project is available here: .

Does Trevor’s summer experience as an ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ Apprentice sound like something your gifted high school student would enjoy? Applications are currently being accepted for Apprenticeship.ĚýĚý!

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