Shoreline STEM Festival & Science Fair May 5 at Shoreline Community College

Sophie Knudson n front of the UNFAO
(UN Food and Agricultural Organization) in Rome, Italy.

By Ray Koelling

The next Shoreline STEM Festival and Science Fair will be held at Shoreline Community College on May 5, 2018 and although living now in Spokane, I am writing to offer my continued support for this critical educational event for students.

Here is a small sampling of some former Shoreline students who parlayed their interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) into great career pathways.

Adam Officer

Adam Officer. Graduated Shorecrest in 2010 and received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Washington. He has been working on the East Coast generating a large-scale database of how protein levels in cancer cells respond to drug treatments to better inform on treatment options. FACT: Since 2000, there has been a 28% growth in STEM jobs and a 6% growth in non-STEM jobs (2016 US News/Raytheon STEM index).

Sophie Knudson. Another Shoreline district alum, she graduated Shorecrest in 2014. Currently studying Medical Anthropology and Global Health at the UW Honors Program, she has been able to travel the world studying global health and trying to help the marginalized and oppressed. FACT: Non-STEM fields increasingly require STEM skills, (US News, 2015).

Ken Koelling. Graduating from Shorecrest in 2010 with Adam, Ken got his undergraduate degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2014. A Master’s degree in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering followed in 2017 from the University of Washington in Seattle. Currently, he is a Systems Engineer II at Raytheon in Tucson in the Missile Defense Division. FACT: STEM occupations average $87,500 annual wages nationally while non-STEM occupations average $45,700, (Bureau of Labor, 2017)

Vivian Lin. You may remember her from a large poster I had at the first Shoreline Science Fairs. With pictures showing her at LFP and Kellogg with the Reptile Man and the Math Olympiad. Also, a Shorecrest science club field trip with Vince Santo Pietro to the Kennedy Space Center. Graduating Shorecrest in 2005, she got her PhD in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley. After a recent 2-year post-doc in environmental chemistry in Switzerland, she currently works right back here in Washington at PNNL in Richland. FACT: US K-12 students in STEM academics achievement still lags their peers in many other countries, (Pew Research Center, 2017)

Ray Koelling at the Eastern Washington Regional Science and
Engineering Fair - wearing his Shoreline STEM shirt!

Ray Koelling. I did not attend Shoreline (Cleveland High Dutchman, St. Louis, 1969) but was involved in Shoreline STEM for many years before semi-retiring to Spokane. What I hope to make Shoreline students and teachers aware of is the awesome opportunity for kids doing science fair research projects. FACT: The NGSS report from the government and many leading STEM companies advocate for research project-based learning.

Our two-year old Eastern Washington Regional Science and Engineering Fair in Spokane is for all grades 6-12 in six Eastern Washington counties. Between our Eastern Washington Fair and the State Fair in Bremerton, kids have won numerous awards up to and including scholarships of $80,000 and all-expense paid trips to the International competition to meet and compete against 1,700 kids from 70 countries around the world. Shoreline kids should have that kind of opportunity!

Whether participating or just curious, the next Shoreline STEM Festival and Science Fair is a must-see event for teachers, parents and especially the students. Good luck!