THE NITTY GRITTY OF APPLYING GRIT

Everything must go through a process. Often, all we see is the result: a marble fountain in the park, a plane flying through the sky, or a TV show on Netflix. In general, the steps taught to finding a solution follow this course: define the problem, generate concepts, reign concepts down into a solution, construct a prototype (a model), and finally, present the final product.

Cleveland explains, “This is the true benefit of STEM: it teaches children a different way to think; it develops in them the ability to identify, break-down, and solve problems, both individually and collaboratively.”

In the STEM senior seminar course, every student must present a problem and follow a process. Over the course of a year, they construct a business plan, perform research, carry out patent searches, and finally, they give a formal presentation to conclude their work.

JACK THOMAS ‘23 is designing community housing for adults with down syndrome and their families. He explains, “There will probably be about 12-14 homes on the plot of land I am using with two different available floor plans. I’ve reached out to a nearby non-profit organization called Peachtree Farm, and they have provided helpful feedback along with Wesleyan’s construction project manager, Jeff Pettit.” Thomas addresses a real, complex issue, and he’s working in conjunction with professionals who also feel that calling to help.

The Next Generation Of Problem Solvers

KALEB JOHN ‘23 , however, chose to design a dementia diagnosis tool that he’s named Willow. He explains, “It’s a Python machine learning algorithm that uses neurological signals and a summary of a patient’s symptoms to diagnose dementia or other neurological disorders in a patient. In more simple terms, Willow attempts to diagnose dementia in patients by using their brain waves and symptoms to make an educated, diagnostic guess.”

STEM senior seminar students, along with other levels of STEM classes at Wesleyan, entered their projects in the Gwinnett Regional Science Fair in February where nearly 1,000 students across the county submit projects for awards. John earned first, and seven other Wesleyan students placed either second or third recognition.

A Bright Future

“Not all students who take a STEM course or even multiple STEM courses will become an engineer or a doctor, but every one of them will become a problem solver,” Cleveland states poignantly. Don’t we all want employees, children, co-workers, and spouses who will finish decorating the Christmas tree? Google can tell us how to bake a cake, but can Google execute the process, start to finish? Can Google love and serve its neighbor?

We want to carefully use technology as tools for developing solutions. But before we know it, some new bot or flashy phenomenon will present challenging questions or unforeseen problems, and that’s when our seasoned problem-solving skills kick in and fulfill our God-given calling as human beings to think for ourselves and help those who need it.