CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICERS EXPERIENCE PRACTICAL LEARNING

CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICERS EXPERIENCE PRACTICAL LEARNING ABOUT STEM AND LEADERSHIP

CLAIRE LABEAUX

The Chief Science Officers (CSO) International program fosters the development of students who are passionate about science. It provides a pathway for youth to connect their interests to education.

Chief Science Officers are middle and high school students from around the world empowered to identify gaps in areas of STEM that matter to them personally; then they build leadership skills as they develop related action plans and champion interest and engagement in STEM and innovation.

Student voice is a key component of the program; CSOs are taught to advocate for themselves and their fellow students. To that end, in the following compilation of illustrations, the CSOs will describe their own experiences.

CSO Ananda, an 11th-grade student at Banneker High School in Atlanta, GA, says:

From a young age, I have enjoyed science immensely. In primary school, my teacher would teach us about the wonders of science with interactive lessons and assignments (e.g., Oreo visuals of the phases of the moon, the TV show Science Court, Bill Nye the Science Guy, student-made raps about the water cycle, etc.). These classes had a profound impact on me; I learned that science can be taught in a myriad of manners and that there is never a concrete solution to a problem. It appeals to both logic and creativity.

Before joining the Chief Science Officer organisation, I noticed the severe lack of communication about STEM in my community. There were very few academic courses or extracurriculars centered around STEM offered at my school; and there was little to no information regarding current STEM events. In 2019, I learned about this Chief Science Officer organisation that focuses on improving STEM culture in communities, and I joined without hesitation.

I began working towards sharing information about the STEM domain to high school students in the Metro-Atlanta area where I am located. I was able to create an action plan revolving around FCAST, a county-wide podcast and Instagram page that would connect with students. [These programs have a broad reach, as they are now developed and accessed by students from several schools in the region.] Our goal is to give support to our community and help it improve.

As a CSO, working with adults and students who understand my vision and wish for it to come to fruition has given me hope. It is my sincere ambition to make a positive impact on the continued improvement of human connection, compassion, and creativity.

CSO Hailey is a sophomore at Hood River Valley High School in Oregon. She is also engaging her community, but her focus has been on younger students rather than high schoolers. She says: I’ ve been working with other CSOs in my district to provide online tutoring for middle school students. Our goal was to offer a free, convenient, and student-run tutoring service during distance learning. We ’ ve helped several students, and we will continue tutoring for as long as we can. I am also working with the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) to distribute innovation kits to elementary school students and help run a camp this summer.

Science is my passion, and I love teaching it as much as I love learning it. As a freshman in high school, I collaborated with another CSO to teach Friday Night STEM classes. Over six weeks, we taught around 30 elementary school students about various topics of STEM. We led hands-on activities like fruit DNA extraction, paper plate roller coasters, robot coding, acid-base reactions, and math puzzles. The students loved it, and it was an incredible experience for me!

To me, being a Chief Science Officer means being connected with a talented group of student leaders from around the world who are passionate about STEM. As a CSO, I feel powerful and capable. It’ s incredible to consider the collective impact that the students in this program are making worldwide.

I feel privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of that impact. When I reflect on my personal development as a CSO, the most notable change has been my self-assurance. The leadership, networking, and communication skills that I’ ve gained through this program have made me much more confident.

Imagine the positive impact that CSO Hailey is making on her rural town, opening the eyes of younger kids to the exciting world of science as she provides near-peer mentorship to them. Her impact is not just limited to the local area; as a member of the International Leadership Council, she regularly meets with like-minded students around the world, and they share ideas and enthusiasm.

One such student is CSO Amely, a junior from Instituto Anglomexicano in Sonora, Mexico. She describes her first experience with the other CSO students and her action plan:

My story starts when I got selected to be part of CSO. I didn ’t know a whole lot about STEM; I just thought it was a subject in my school, and I didn ’t know how much STEM would impact the world. Then I attended a leadership training and got to talk with a STEM professional.

Through that experience, the CSO program started my love for STEM and also opened my eyes to new opportunities. I hadn ’t realized how many girls are studying for engineering and math careers because, in Mexico, girls often don ’t hear they are able to enter a STEM career. It’ s been amazing for me to see that a girl is capable of doing that and more.

My action plan is developing a space for the international CSO membership to express their

concerns and share ideas and plans to help the planet. In this “CSO for the World” group, we meet monthly to talk about what we are doing right now to help the ecosystem, and we will invite professionals in ecology, biology, and other fields to share their learning with us. This shared knowledge will make us more conscious about how others in our world are feeling, and I hope it will help us positively impact the Earth in all our CSO communities.

Amely ’ s description of her personal experience is what leaders of the Chief Science Officer program hope to achieve in the lives of more youth around the world, as they meet peers and mentors who share a love of science and learn how to lead their communities in a positive direction. She says:

The real meaning of being a CSO can be explained in two words: happiness and vision. I am happy because I’ ve found a safe space to express myself, sharing all the ideas that I have and feeling comfortable talking through ideas and stepping into the role of a leader. All CSOs are establishing a vision for the future, helping more people and future generations to know the impact of STEM and how it’ s a big part of all of our lives.

These CSOs, and hundreds more, are individually and collectively stepping into leadership to positively impact STEM education and individual communities. Chief Science Officers International is a program of the SciTech Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more at ChiefScienceOfficers.org.

Claire LaBeaux

Claire is the Communications Director for the Chief Science Officers International, a program of the SciTech Institute. She coaches student Chief Science Officers on engaging peers to pursue STEM education, as well as communicating with education administrators and regional and national policymakers.