WCU Magazine Summer 2025

Center for STEM Inclusion
GIVES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Dr. Brandon J. Mitchell

In April, the University’s Center for STEM Inclusion introduced 45 Oxford Area High School students in grades 9 through 11 to the hands-on world of chemistry and nanoscience.

Youth participated in hands-on activities in laboratories and research spaces in the Sciences and Engineering Center & The Commons (SECC) and the Science Center South, working with faculty from WCU’s College of Sciences and Mathematics. Students engaged in polymer synthesis and explored human-machine interfacing using electromyography (EMG) devices that measure electrical activity in muscles during rest and contraction to control robotic systems. Concluding the day: a Q&A session with WCU undergraduate STEM majors and industry professionals from Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program, Dupont, Arkema, and IMC Construction.

“It is crucial to educate students about the range of STEM careers available, as understanding these opportunities will ignite their interests and provide them with the motivation to pursue paths they might not have realized were available or attainable,” says Dr. Brandon J. Mitchell, the professor of physics and engineering who helped establish and currently leads the Center for STEM Inclusion. “Ultimately, we believe that this type of program will create an expanded technology-based workforce in the Commonwealth of PA and throughout the U.S.”

It is crucial to educate students about the range of STEM careers available, as understanding these opportunities will ignite their interests and provide them with the motivation to pursue paths they might not have realized were available or attainable.

Uniting innovators, technologists, philanthropists, and educators, the Center’s goal is to help inspire youth who do not have access to, or the resources associated with, a robust STEM-focused curriculum to become interested in pursuing technology, engineering, coding, and related career paths.

The Center works actively to link experts in secondary and higher education, industry, government, and education-focused non-profit organizations directly with students from families with low socioeconomic means. These broad collaborations across the various stakeholders within the STEM workforce ecosystem yield the vital unsiloed resources and support that students need to successfully pursue STEM careers. Currently, the Center is partnering with more than 45 schools in southeastern PA and three local education-focused nonprofit organizations.

Deloitte’s Smart Factory Believers program is the education and workforce skills program created for The Smart Factory by Deloitte @ Wichita, Deloitte’s immersive experience center and proving ground for next-generation, digitally driven manufacturing. The program aims to bridge the gap between technology and manufacturing jobs and the talent pool that can fill them by extending new pathways to STEM for students in under-resourced communities. The Smart Factory Believers program is designed to help provide students with high-quality STEM learning, and empower teachers with the skills needed to help students visualize and achieve jobs in the manufacturing industry.