Message S.T.E.E.M.Going FullS.T.E.A.M. Aheadfrom middle school, high schoolto college from middle school, high schoolto college P U T T I N G T H E E N T E R T A I N M E N T I NS C I E N C E , T E C H N O L O G Y ,E N G I N E E R I N G A N D M A T HApril 17, 2023Jessica Kunkel shares her journey as it relatesto her passions in science, technology,engineering, art and math.YEARS OFEDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE YEARS OFEDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE 10TM S.T.E.E.M.Going FullS.T.E.A.M. Aheadfrom middle school, high schoolto college from middle school, high schoolto college P U T T I N G T H E E N T E R T A I N M E N T I NS C I E N C E , T E C H N O L O G Y ,E N G I N E E R I N G A N D M A T HApril 17, 2023Jessica Kunkel shares her journey as it relatesto her passions in science, technology,engineering, art and math.YEARS OFEDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE YEARS OFEDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE 10TM
0203TABLEEDITOR'S LETTERGOING FULLS.T.E.A.M AHEAD04INITIAL EXPERIENCES,THOUGHTS, OPINIONS ANDIDEAS11MAKING MODERNSCIENCE WITH ART1532SURVEY RESULTSCORE COMPETENCIESIN COMPANIES39FINAL ASSESSMENTCONTENTSBACKGROUND07S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 1 0203TABLEEDITOR'S LETTERGOING FULLS.T.E.A.M AHEAD04INITIAL EXPERIENCES,THOUGHTS, OPINIONS ANDIDEAS11MAKING MODERNSCIENCE WITH ART1532SURVEY RESULTSCORE COMPETENCIESIN COMPANIES39FINAL ASSESSMENTCONTENTSBACKGROUND07S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 1
During college, I received my undergraduate degree in CommunicationsStudies and Journalism and also completeda Mathematics minor from Missouri BaptistUniversity, located in St. Louis. I attended high school at Westminster ChristianAcademy, also located in St. Louis. LETTEREDITOR'SHi, my name is Jessica and I am a highlyreliable and self-motivated writer,photographer, and website designer whostrives to share unique perspectives of theworld, while incorporating my S.T.E.A.M. background and experience.With S.T.E.E.M. Magazine I hope to facilitatea unique learning opportunity about science, technology, engineering, arts, andmath in a fun and entertaining way. I hopereaders will enjoy the creativity behind thetechnicality of life. MAGAZINE EDITOR ANDCOLUMN WRITERS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 2Jessica Kunkel During college, I received my undergraduate degree in CommunicationsStudies and Journalism and also completeda Mathematics minor from Missouri BaptistUniversity, located in St. Louis. I attended high school at Westminster ChristianAcademy, also located in St. Louis. LETTEREDITOR'SHi, my name is Jessica and I am a highlyreliable and self-motivated writer,photographer, and website designer whostrives to share unique perspectives of theworld, while incorporating my S.T.E.A.M. background and experience.With S.T.E.E.M. Magazine I hope to facilitatea unique learning opportunity about science, technology, engineering, arts, andmath in a fun and entertaining way. I hopereaders will enjoy the creativity behind thetechnicality of life. MAGAZINE EDITOR ANDCOLUMN WRITERS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 2Jessica Kunkel
Magazine byJessica KunkelGoing FullS.T.E.A.M.AheadJessica Kunkel shares how science, technology, engineering and math(S.T.E.M.) should be more open and inclusive to the arts, thus referring toS.T.E.M. as S.T.E.A.M. Science, technology, engineering and math, all sharean emphasis on innovation, problem-solving and critical thinking. With thisin mind as a Bachelor of Science double major in Communications Studiesand Journalism with a Mathematics minor, I am proposing that the arts beadded to S.T.E.M. thus being referred to as S.T.E.A.M. I have observedfirsthand in my areas of study where the arts take S.T.E.M. to the next level.I hope to express to readers that supporting and being an advocate forS.T.E.A.M. will help with students' interests and educational passions aswell as promote engaging career opportunities and environments. In thisarticle, I share my journey of how I used my gifts and passions for science,technology, engineering, math and art and how this pushed me to go fullsteam ahead into S.T.E.A.M.S . T . E . E . M .Column Written by Jessica Kunkel | Editing Done by Jessica KunkelS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 3 Magazine byJessica KunkelGoing FullS.T.E.A.M.AheadJessica Kunkel shares how science, technology, engineering and math(S.T.E.M.) should be more open and inclusive to the arts, thus referring toS.T.E.M. as S.T.E.A.M. Science, technology, engineering and math, all sharean emphasis on innovation, problem-solving and critical thinking. With thisin mind as a Bachelor of Science double major in Communications Studiesand Journalism with a Mathematics minor, I am proposing that the arts beadded to S.T.E.M. thus being referred to as S.T.E.A.M. I have observedfirsthand in my areas of study where the arts take S.T.E.M. to the next level.I hope to express to readers that supporting and being an advocate forS.T.E.A.M. will help with students' interests and educational passions aswell as promote engaging career opportunities and environments. In thisarticle, I share my journey of how I used my gifts and passions for science,technology, engineering, math and art and how this pushed me to go fullsteam ahead into S.T.E.A.M.S . T . E . E . M .Column Written by Jessica Kunkel | Editing Done by Jessica KunkelS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 3
BACKGROUNDAs a Bachelor of Science in CommunicationsStudies and Journalism double major with aMathematics minor, when anyone everasked me what undergraduate degree I waspursuing and then when I answered them, Iundoubtedly got confused looks, and peoplealways seemed to question how I was goingto use math in relation to my two majors.I myself am not certain how I will be utilizingthese subjects for God’s plan for my life, but Iam optimistic about what He has in store formy future.At times during my educational journey, Ifound myself struggling a bit figuring outwhat subjects brought me the most joy,satisfaction and successes.In high school at Westminster ChristianAcademy (WCA) I enjoyed writing in honorsand AP English classes, taking a couple ofyears of Band and French, but I also reallyliked taking classes like AP Physics, Principlesof Engineering (P.O.E) and Applied Science Research. I was even the co-safety caption on the robotics team at WCAduring my junior and senior years. I learned a lot from all these classes, and Ithrived immensely specifically in English,engineering classes and as co-safety captain inrobotics. I remember specific instances in myP.O.E. class where my lab partners woulddesignate me to be in charge of the pre andpost lab write-ups because I was able toarticulate the engineering concepts we hadlearned in both an analytical and creative way.I also had to give independent safetypresentations at robotics regionalcompetitions that not only required me to beable to understand the logistics of our roboticsteam, but I had to be equipped to be able tocorrectly and accurately explain many mathand science concepts as it related to ourteam's safety, to competition judges and alsoto other teams who were participating incompetitions. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 4Some people's minds are wired to be creative and to be design oriented while others are wired to betechnical or industrial, but sometimes there are people who have the best of both worlds. BACKGROUNDAs a Bachelor of Science in CommunicationsStudies and Journalism double major with aMathematics minor, when anyone everasked me what undergraduate degree I waspursuing and then when I answered them, Iundoubtedly got confused looks, and peoplealways seemed to question how I was goingto use math in relation to my two majors.I myself am not certain how I will be utilizingthese subjects for God’s plan for my life, but Iam optimistic about what He has in store formy future.At times during my educational journey, Ifound myself struggling a bit figuring outwhat subjects brought me the most joy,satisfaction and successes.In high school at Westminster ChristianAcademy (WCA) I enjoyed writing in honorsand AP English classes, taking a couple ofyears of Band and French, but I also reallyliked taking classes like AP Physics, Principlesof Engineering (P.O.E) and Applied Science Research. I was even the co-safety caption on the robotics team at WCAduring my junior and senior years. I learned a lot from all these classes, and Ithrived immensely specifically in English,engineering classes and as co-safety captain inrobotics. I remember specific instances in myP.O.E. class where my lab partners woulddesignate me to be in charge of the pre andpost lab write-ups because I was able toarticulate the engineering concepts we hadlearned in both an analytical and creative way.I also had to give independent safetypresentations at robotics regionalcompetitions that not only required me to beable to understand the logistics of our roboticsteam, but I had to be equipped to be able tocorrectly and accurately explain many mathand science concepts as it related to ourteam's safety, to competition judges and alsoto other teams who were participating incompetitions. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 4Some people's minds are wired to be creative and to be design oriented while others are wired to betechnical or industrial, but sometimes there are people who have the best of both worlds.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 5Being a part of my high school robotics team was something that was and still is important to me as a partof my educational journey. I was safety captain for my team in 2019 and I got great experience in the mathand science fields.Also during my time in middle school andhigh school, I participated in a plethora ofmath and science opportunities and campsincluding but not limited to: DigiGirlz,Catalyst for Change, coding camp andstructural engineering camp at Missouri S&Tand stoked for science camp and roboticscamp at Camp Westminster. With all the math, science and engineeringexperiences I had in middle school and highschool, I was all geared up to go to collegewith my science and math passions in myback pocket. After deciding to go to Missouri BaptistUniversity (MBU), located in Town andCountry, Missouri, to complete generaleducation courses, my plan was to head toMissouri S&T, located in Rolla, Missouri, topossibly get a degree in Safety Engineeringor Engineering Management. However, Godhad different plans for my life.I went full steam ahead at MBU completingmath and science classes like General PhysicsI and II, General Chemistry I, Survey ofBiology, Calculus I, II and III, Probability andStatistics and Linear Algebra. These were allthe science and math-type classes I tookduring my freshman and sophomoreyear in college with the plan of transferring toMissouri S&T to complete the rest of myundergraduate degree. Science and math were subjects that I alwayshad a passion for and I wanted to succeed at,but throughout my education the knowledgeand skills demanded from this field didn’tcome as naturally to me as maybe writing orjust being generally creative might have. Itseemed as though I would spend extra time incomparison to my peers in these types ofclasses to be able to understand many mathand science concepts. After completing my first semester ofsophomore year at MBU I was sort of left at acrossroads when I struggled to just barely passCalculus III. I questioned whether or notpursuing something in the engineering fieldwould be for me. Lingering from my manyhigh school experiences, I also struggled withthe competitive nature that the math andscience fields required. I also had people tellme that because of struggles I’ve had at timesfully comprehending math and science quicklythat my desire to pursue a career in math andscience was “just a phase” - that I must havenever really understood what I was doing orlearning. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 5Being a part of my high school robotics team was something that was and still is important to me as a partof my educational journey. I was safety captain for my team in 2019 and I got great experience in the mathand science fields.Also during my time in middle school andhigh school, I participated in a plethora ofmath and science opportunities and campsincluding but not limited to: DigiGirlz,Catalyst for Change, coding camp andstructural engineering camp at Missouri S&Tand stoked for science camp and roboticscamp at Camp Westminster. With all the math, science and engineeringexperiences I had in middle school and highschool, I was all geared up to go to collegewith my science and math passions in myback pocket. After deciding to go to Missouri BaptistUniversity (MBU), located in Town andCountry, Missouri, to complete generaleducation courses, my plan was to head toMissouri S&T, located in Rolla, Missouri, topossibly get a degree in Safety Engineeringor Engineering Management. However, Godhad different plans for my life.I went full steam ahead at MBU completingmath and science classes like General PhysicsI and II, General Chemistry I, Survey ofBiology, Calculus I, II and III, Probability andStatistics and Linear Algebra. These were allthe science and math-type classes I tookduring my freshman and sophomoreyear in college with the plan of transferring toMissouri S&T to complete the rest of myundergraduate degree. Science and math were subjects that I alwayshad a passion for and I wanted to succeed at,but throughout my education the knowledgeand skills demanded from this field didn’tcome as naturally to me as maybe writing orjust being generally creative might have. Itseemed as though I would spend extra time incomparison to my peers in these types ofclasses to be able to understand many mathand science concepts. After completing my first semester ofsophomore year at MBU I was sort of left at acrossroads when I struggled to just barely passCalculus III. I questioned whether or notpursuing something in the engineering fieldwould be for me. Lingering from my manyhigh school experiences, I also struggled withthe competitive nature that the math andscience fields required. I also had people tellme that because of struggles I’ve had at timesfully comprehending math and science quicklythat my desire to pursue a career in math andscience was “just a phase” - that I must havenever really understood what I was doing orlearning.
Going into the second semester ofsophomore year I made up my mind thatbecause I had already accomplished passingmany math and science classes at MBU Ididn’t want all that effort and passion I had,to go to waste. Since I was only three classes away from amath minor, I decided to strive to finish outthese math courses so I could add them tomy undergraduate diploma. I had my minordecided, but what was my major going tobe?I spent a lot of time looking at coursedescriptions that MBU offered to see if anypiqued my interest. One class in particularthat stuck out to me was Media Technology.This provided me with elements of scienceand technology and creativity I was wired forbecause this course entailed teachingstudents advanced word processing,presentation software, graphic editing,desktop publishing and basic designs for theWeb. Through this foundational class, Idesigned a variety of projects anddemonstrated practical ways to utilizetechnology in the world of convergentmedia. Media Tech was the firstcommunications class I took and it changedthe trajectory of my field of study and myunique learning experiences at MBU in apositive way. Fast forward to my senior year at MBU andacknowledging all my educational successand struggles, I am glad in the choices I havemade to get me to where I am today. In order to earn my degree inCommunication Studies and Journalism Iwas required to complete a capstone project.A capstone project is most noted as aculminating assignment, which studentsusually work on during their final semester inschool or at the end of their academicprogram. Requiring different intellectualactivities and communications talents, thisproject helps communications studentslearn how to find and analyze their personalinformation, work with it efficiently, andcreate a project that highlights the skills theyhope to emphasize when entering theworkplace. When faced with the requirement ofcompleting a capstone project for my SeniorCommunications Class at Missouri BaptistUniversity, I was unsure what I was going todo or even where to start.I wanted my capstone project to be uniqueto me. I wanted it to represent my passionsand interests while honing in on what acapstone encompasses. So I came up with aconcept that I want to address through myperspective and personal ideas. I wanted tocombine both my passion and learningexperiences of my Communications Studiesand Journalism major with my Mathematicsminor. I wanted to address the idea ofS.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.Therefore, the capstone topic that I chooseinvolves asking the question should S.T.E.M.(Science, Technology, Engineering, andMath), including Arts making it S.T.E.A.M.? Ordoes art and creativity have little to no placein S.T.E.M.? I additionally wanted to see howmuch S.T.E.M.-related concepts and ideascan be found in the arts.I devised the best way to dive into this topicis to share my personal opinions aboutS.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. I also wanted to gain aconsensus from people in the MissouriBaptist University community so I couldunderstand the perspectives of my peers andprofessors. Another area I thought would addto the validity of my topic is to look atorganizations that highlight S.T.E.M. andones that integrate S.T.E.A.M.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 6 Going into the second semester ofsophomore year I made up my mind thatbecause I had already accomplished passingmany math and science classes at MBU Ididn’t want all that effort and passion I had,to go to waste. Since I was only three classes away from amath minor, I decided to strive to finish outthese math courses so I could add them tomy undergraduate diploma. I had my minordecided, but what was my major going tobe?I spent a lot of time looking at coursedescriptions that MBU offered to see if anypiqued my interest. One class in particularthat stuck out to me was Media Technology.This provided me with elements of scienceand technology and creativity I was wired forbecause this course entailed teachingstudents advanced word processing,presentation software, graphic editing,desktop publishing and basic designs for theWeb. Through this foundational class, Idesigned a variety of projects anddemonstrated practical ways to utilizetechnology in the world of convergentmedia. Media Tech was the firstcommunications class I took and it changedthe trajectory of my field of study and myunique learning experiences at MBU in apositive way. Fast forward to my senior year at MBU andacknowledging all my educational successand struggles, I am glad in the choices I havemade to get me to where I am today. In order to earn my degree inCommunication Studies and Journalism Iwas required to complete a capstone project.A capstone project is most noted as aculminating assignment, which studentsusually work on during their final semester inschool or at the end of their academicprogram. Requiring different intellectualactivities and communications talents, thisproject helps communications studentslearn how to find and analyze their personalinformation, work with it efficiently, andcreate a project that highlights the skills theyhope to emphasize when entering theworkplace. When faced with the requirement ofcompleting a capstone project for my SeniorCommunications Class at Missouri BaptistUniversity, I was unsure what I was going todo or even where to start.I wanted my capstone project to be uniqueto me. I wanted it to represent my passionsand interests while honing in on what acapstone encompasses. So I came up with aconcept that I want to address through myperspective and personal ideas. I wanted tocombine both my passion and learningexperiences of my Communications Studiesand Journalism major with my Mathematicsminor. I wanted to address the idea ofS.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.Therefore, the capstone topic that I chooseinvolves asking the question should S.T.E.M.(Science, Technology, Engineering, andMath), including Arts making it S.T.E.A.M.? Ordoes art and creativity have little to no placein S.T.E.M.? I additionally wanted to see howmuch S.T.E.M.-related concepts and ideascan be found in the arts.I devised the best way to dive into this topicis to share my personal opinions aboutS.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. I also wanted to gain aconsensus from people in the MissouriBaptist University community so I couldunderstand the perspectives of my peers andprofessors. Another area I thought would addto the validity of my topic is to look atorganizations that highlight S.T.E.M. andones that integrate S.T.E.A.M.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 6
INITIAL EXPERIENCES, THOUGHTS,OPINIONS AND IDEASBefore making the choice to pursue aBachelor of Science Degree inCommunications Studies and Journalism Isided more in believing that the arts couldnot be involved in S.T.E.M. in any context.During my educational experiences, I had afew peer and instructor interactions that ledme to conclude that the concepts in S.T.E.M.couldn’t be learned, people were simply bornbeing able to understand these concepts.This is why I seemingly struggled to keep apositive relationship with S.T.E.M. While I hada passion for this field I never felt fullyconfident in performing well in it, due to afew comments and experiences that affectedmy aptitude for S.T.E.M. by the time I startedcollege.It wasn’t until I started taking collegecommunications courses while finishing upmy math minor on the side, that I started tosee a crossover of the two seeminglyopposing fields of S.T.E.M. and the arts. As conveyed by britannica.com: “the arts, also called fine arts, is modes of expression thatuse skill or imagination in the creation ofaesthetic objects, environments or experiencesthat can be shared with others. Traditionalcategories within the arts include literature(including poetry, drama, story, and so on), thevisual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.),the graphic arts (painting, drawing, design,and other forms expressed on flat surfaces),the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), thedecorative arts (enamelwork, furniture design,mosaic, etc.), the performing arts (theatre,dance, music), music (as composition), andarchitecture (often including interior design).”Because of what I had learned in my S.T.E.M.classes at WCA and MBU, I was able to makelogical connections to the creativecomponents that I was being taught in mycommunications and journalism-type classes.Many of the S.T.E.M. concepts are basic but Ifelt like it gave me an advantage when itS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 7 As the beloved purple Disney character Figment, expresses, "One little spark of inspiration is at theheart, of all creation. A dream, can be, a dream come true. With just that spark from me and you." INITIAL EXPERIENCES, THOUGHTS,OPINIONS AND IDEASBefore making the choice to pursue aBachelor of Science Degree inCommunications Studies and Journalism Isided more in believing that the arts couldnot be involved in S.T.E.M. in any context.During my educational experiences, I had afew peer and instructor interactions that ledme to conclude that the concepts in S.T.E.M.couldn’t be learned, people were simply bornbeing able to understand these concepts.This is why I seemingly struggled to keep apositive relationship with S.T.E.M. While I hada passion for this field I never felt fullyconfident in performing well in it, due to afew comments and experiences that affectedmy aptitude for S.T.E.M. by the time I startedcollege.It wasn’t until I started taking collegecommunications courses while finishing upmy math minor on the side, that I started tosee a crossover of the two seeminglyopposing fields of S.T.E.M. and the arts. As conveyed by britannica.com: “the arts, also called fine arts, is modes of expression thatuse skill or imagination in the creation ofaesthetic objects, environments or experiencesthat can be shared with others. Traditionalcategories within the arts include literature(including poetry, drama, story, and so on), thevisual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.),the graphic arts (painting, drawing, design,and other forms expressed on flat surfaces),the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), thedecorative arts (enamelwork, furniture design,mosaic, etc.), the performing arts (theatre,dance, music), music (as composition), andarchitecture (often including interior design).”Because of what I had learned in my S.T.E.M.classes at WCA and MBU, I was able to makelogical connections to the creativecomponents that I was being taught in mycommunications and journalism-type classes.Many of the S.T.E.M. concepts are basic but Ifelt like it gave me an advantage when itS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 7 As the beloved purple Disney character Figment, expresses, "One little spark of inspiration is at theheart, of all creation. A dream, can be, a dream come true. With just that spark from me and you."
came to understanding how to graspcommunications studies concepts.For me, the three classes that I took at MBUwhere my prior knowledge in S.T.E.M.benefited me the most was photography,principles of sound and convergent media. When taking pictures there are four mainsettings that are the most important. Theyare focal length, shutter speed, aperture andISO.Understanding aperture and how to properlyset it can be difficult from the perspective ofsomeone who may not be math or scienceoriented. When setting the aperture forphotography it is paramount to comprehendwhat is known as f-stops. The f-stop number refers to the diameter ofthe lens aperture, which is how much light itlets into the camera. The smaller the f/stopnumber, the larger the aperture diameter,allowing for more light rays to pass throughthe lens. After the first time this was taughtto me I picked up on it quickly because Iunderstood that the relationship betweenwhat an f-stop number is and how thataffects a camera’s aperture is inverselyproportional.Meaning that the greater the f-stop numberthe smaller the aperture will be. This isbecause an f-stop number is actually afraction. f/22 is actually 1/22 which is ≅0.045which means very limited light is passingthrough the camera whereas f/1 is 1/1 whichequals 1 thus a lot of light would be passingthrough the camera.There are also many mathematical principlesthat are needed when ensuring perfectexposure on images. This comes into playwhen looking at the ISO settings of a camera.There are certain ISO “stops” that determinethe best settings for the aperture and shutterspeed. This gets a bit more technical butthere are many videos that are helpful inunderstanding the math behind it all.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 8 Before taking photography class in the springof 2022 I had never picked up a camera.However, I grasped this skill and becameproficient in it. Photography is now a majorpassion of mine. I do think people can still be excellentphotographers if they don’t necessarily graspthese math concepts, but through my lens, Ihave come to believe that being able toutilize and articulate the math and sciencebehind the camera helps me to use thistechnology to its full potential and saves metons of time in post-editing. Another class that I found my pre-existingknowledge in physics to be beneficial was inPrinciples of Sound. The goal of this class is togive students an entry-level understandingof sound, sound technology and soundproductions. Before this class, I had never consideredsound and sound manipulation involving artsbecause the first time I was introduced towhat sound was and how it worked was froma S.T.E.M. point of view. came to understanding how to graspcommunications studies concepts.For me, the three classes that I took at MBUwhere my prior knowledge in S.T.E.M.benefited me the most was photography,principles of sound and convergent media. When taking pictures there are four mainsettings that are the most important. Theyare focal length, shutter speed, aperture andISO.Understanding aperture and how to properlyset it can be difficult from the perspective ofsomeone who may not be math or scienceoriented. When setting the aperture forphotography it is paramount to comprehendwhat is known as f-stops. The f-stop number refers to the diameter ofthe lens aperture, which is how much light itlets into the camera. The smaller the f/stopnumber, the larger the aperture diameter,allowing for more light rays to pass throughthe lens. After the first time this was taughtto me I picked up on it quickly because Iunderstood that the relationship betweenwhat an f-stop number is and how thataffects a camera’s aperture is inverselyproportional.Meaning that the greater the f-stop numberthe smaller the aperture will be. This isbecause an f-stop number is actually afraction. f/22 is actually 1/22 which is ≅0.045which means very limited light is passingthrough the camera whereas f/1 is 1/1 whichequals 1 thus a lot of light would be passingthrough the camera.There are also many mathematical principlesthat are needed when ensuring perfectexposure on images. This comes into playwhen looking at the ISO settings of a camera.There are certain ISO “stops” that determinethe best settings for the aperture and shutterspeed. This gets a bit more technical butthere are many videos that are helpful inunderstanding the math behind it all.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 8 Before taking photography class in the springof 2022 I had never picked up a camera.However, I grasped this skill and becameproficient in it. Photography is now a majorpassion of mine. I do think people can still be excellentphotographers if they don’t necessarily graspthese math concepts, but through my lens, Ihave come to believe that being able toutilize and articulate the math and sciencebehind the camera helps me to use thistechnology to its full potential and saves metons of time in post-editing. Another class that I found my pre-existingknowledge in physics to be beneficial was inPrinciples of Sound. The goal of this class is togive students an entry-level understandingof sound, sound technology and soundproductions. Before this class, I had never consideredsound and sound manipulation involving artsbecause the first time I was introduced towhat sound was and how it worked was froma S.T.E.M. point of view.
Two of the notable concepts that weretaught in Principles of Sound were thedelineation between volume and frequency.This portion of the class I understood themost, because I knew what these conceptswere. The textbook we used for the class, titled"Great Church Sound" by James Wesam,even points out on page 16, “Running soundis as much an art as it is a craft. Your jobbehind the mixing console is subjective andinterpretive. We use terms such as color,texture, richness, and depth to describe whatwe hear. But we also talk about things interms of science and engineering likevolume, signal, and frequency. You’ll need toapply an understanding of the science (akacraft) of what you know to the subjectivesound (aka art) that you hear. This all startswith your ability to listen.”Though volume, signal and frequency maybe basic scientific terms to define andconceptualize for those who are S.T.E.M.-minded, based on my prescription whilebeing in the class these concepts were not aseasy to comprehend for those who werestrictly looking at sound being art-minded.This is why I am glad I was able to take thisclass because this was another examplewhere my excitement for S.T.E.M. and myaptitude for being creative, collided.journalism, from the beginning stages ofstory development through the finalpublication of multimedia stories andcontent management on news websites.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 9 Additionally, one other class that I was ableto succeed in as a result of prior S.T.E.M.familiarity was Convergent Media. This classentailed an intensive, hands-on workshopapproach to convergent media that appliesthe most relevant tools of multimediaThe key components for learning for thisclass were producing website contentthrough applications like InDesign andPhotoshop and designing and creatingwebsite posts. With websites, there is coding involvedwhich can scare people if they aren’t familiarwith it. However, I have taken coding classesboth in high school and in college so seeingback-end coding in website designing didn’tworry me too much. Taking this class was actually really fun forme because I knew at least some of the“why” behind the code that was needed toexecute specific designs and elements thatwould be viewed on the front-end. With these classes I took at MBU there isquite a bit of S.T.E.M. that shows up in thearts and in my degree in CommunicationsStudies and Journalism. But what about the arts that are found inS.T.E.M.? For me, the prominent areas I used mydegrees in S.T.E.M. were through writing,typing and speaking.As a general connection of art in S.T.E.M,anytime I needed to type up a pre or post-labreport for physics or chemistry, this Two of the notable concepts that weretaught in Principles of Sound were thedelineation between volume and frequency.This portion of the class I understood themost, because I knew what these conceptswere. The textbook we used for the class, titled"Great Church Sound" by James Wesam,even points out on page 16, “Running soundis as much an art as it is a craft. Your jobbehind the mixing console is subjective andinterpretive. We use terms such as color,texture, richness, and depth to describe whatwe hear. But we also talk about things interms of science and engineering likevolume, signal, and frequency. You’ll need toapply an understanding of the science (akacraft) of what you know to the subjectivesound (aka art) that you hear. This all startswith your ability to listen.”Though volume, signal and frequency maybe basic scientific terms to define andconceptualize for those who are S.T.E.M.-minded, based on my prescription whilebeing in the class these concepts were not aseasy to comprehend for those who werestrictly looking at sound being art-minded.This is why I am glad I was able to take thisclass because this was another examplewhere my excitement for S.T.E.M. and myaptitude for being creative, collided.journalism, from the beginning stages ofstory development through the finalpublication of multimedia stories andcontent management on news websites.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 9 Additionally, one other class that I was ableto succeed in as a result of prior S.T.E.M.familiarity was Convergent Media. This classentailed an intensive, hands-on workshopapproach to convergent media that appliesthe most relevant tools of multimediaThe key components for learning for thisclass were producing website contentthrough applications like InDesign andPhotoshop and designing and creatingwebsite posts. With websites, there is coding involvedwhich can scare people if they aren’t familiarwith it. However, I have taken coding classesboth in high school and in college so seeingback-end coding in website designing didn’tworry me too much. Taking this class was actually really fun forme because I knew at least some of the“why” behind the code that was needed toexecute specific designs and elements thatwould be viewed on the front-end. With these classes I took at MBU there isquite a bit of S.T.E.M. that shows up in thearts and in my degree in CommunicationsStudies and Journalism. But what about the arts that are found inS.T.E.M.? For me, the prominent areas I used mydegrees in S.T.E.M. were through writing,typing and speaking.As a general connection of art in S.T.E.M,anytime I needed to type up a pre or post-labreport for physics or chemistry, this
came naturally to me. I already liked writing,so I just had to figure out the best ways toarticulate the S.T.E.M. concepts needed for asuccessful lab report.A math class where I ascertained that havinga creative eye and having well-formulatedwriting skills were essential, was in StatisticalMethods. This advanced statics coursecovered topics including sampling theory,philosophy and techniques of statisticalinference, bivariate and partial correlationanalysis, simple and multiple linearregression, regression diagnostics andcompletely random design and factorialanalysis of variance. This class was probably one of my favoritemath classes because I was able toconsistently use my brain’s wiring for S.T.E.M.and arts simultaneously.One assignment in particular that Ithoroughly enjoyed from this class wasperforming different types of hypothesistests. For this project, this class wasinstructed to conduct primary research,collect data and conduct an analysis on the data that was gathered. The testing involvedtesting the difference between twovariances, testing the difference betweentwo means of independent samples usingthe t-test and the third test was thenonparametric Wilcoxen Rank Sum test.As part of the requirements for this project, Iwrote an abstract and seven conclusionsbased on the data I found. Not only did I haveto gather, extrapolate and interpret data forthis project, I also got the opportunity toarticulate the concluding analysis of myfindings through a typed-up summary. Thisassignment and taking Statistical Analysis asa whole was probably the most fun andenjoyment I have ever gotten out of a mathclass. Even more so because I got toexperience S.T.E.M. skills andcommunications skills intertwine.When taking high school or college mathand science courses that involved projects,presentations or typed-out analyses I often found that some of my classmates wouldcome to me for help or advice on how to bestconvey science or math concepts they werebeing asked to express. They understood thedata and information from their math orscience perspective respectfully, but when itcame to typing out a summary for the datathat was collected or concluded it was insome cases not their expertise.Sometimes I struggled with physically doingor calculating the S.T.E.M. depending onwhat the assignment was or is, but whenasked to interpret or articulate the S.T.E.M. Imore times than not felt pretty confident inthe skills to do so. From my personal experiences I have clearlyseen the overlaps and correlations of the artsfound in S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.M. found in thearts, but to say that our culture should bepromoting S.T.E.A.M. over S.T.E.M. is a bitmore complicated to accept.In my early education I was always told thatthe arts had no place in S.T.E.M. becausethese fields were two contrasting, so I felt outof place because I seemed to have skills inboth fields but culturally one did not acceptthe other and vice versa.Some of my family members, peers andprofessors were really adamant aboutS.T.E.A.M. being a joke and it was just a wayfor people who weren’t smart enough toidentify with the S.T.E.M. community. I can sympathize with this perspective, whichis why it has been difficult for me to decipherif there is a right answer when it comes toS.T.E.A.M. vs. S.T.E.M.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 10 came naturally to me. I already liked writing,so I just had to figure out the best ways toarticulate the S.T.E.M. concepts needed for asuccessful lab report.A math class where I ascertained that havinga creative eye and having well-formulatedwriting skills were essential, was in StatisticalMethods. This advanced statics coursecovered topics including sampling theory,philosophy and techniques of statisticalinference, bivariate and partial correlationanalysis, simple and multiple linearregression, regression diagnostics andcompletely random design and factorialanalysis of variance. This class was probably one of my favoritemath classes because I was able toconsistently use my brain’s wiring for S.T.E.M.and arts simultaneously.One assignment in particular that Ithoroughly enjoyed from this class wasperforming different types of hypothesistests. For this project, this class wasinstructed to conduct primary research,collect data and conduct an analysis on the data that was gathered. The testing involvedtesting the difference between twovariances, testing the difference betweentwo means of independent samples usingthe t-test and the third test was thenonparametric Wilcoxen Rank Sum test.As part of the requirements for this project, Iwrote an abstract and seven conclusionsbased on the data I found. Not only did I haveto gather, extrapolate and interpret data forthis project, I also got the opportunity toarticulate the concluding analysis of myfindings through a typed-up summary. Thisassignment and taking Statistical Analysis asa whole was probably the most fun andenjoyment I have ever gotten out of a mathclass. Even more so because I got toexperience S.T.E.M. skills andcommunications skills intertwine.When taking high school or college mathand science courses that involved projects,presentations or typed-out analyses I often found that some of my classmates wouldcome to me for help or advice on how to bestconvey science or math concepts they werebeing asked to express. They understood thedata and information from their math orscience perspective respectfully, but when itcame to typing out a summary for the datathat was collected or concluded it was insome cases not their expertise.Sometimes I struggled with physically doingor calculating the S.T.E.M. depending onwhat the assignment was or is, but whenasked to interpret or articulate the S.T.E.M. Imore times than not felt pretty confident inthe skills to do so. From my personal experiences I have clearlyseen the overlaps and correlations of the artsfound in S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.M. found in thearts, but to say that our culture should bepromoting S.T.E.A.M. over S.T.E.M. is a bitmore complicated to accept.In my early education I was always told thatthe arts had no place in S.T.E.M. becausethese fields were two contrasting, so I felt outof place because I seemed to have skills inboth fields but culturally one did not acceptthe other and vice versa.Some of my family members, peers andprofessors were really adamant aboutS.T.E.A.M. being a joke and it was just a wayfor people who weren’t smart enough toidentify with the S.T.E.M. community. I can sympathize with this perspective, whichis why it has been difficult for me to decipherif there is a right answer when it comes toS.T.E.A.M. vs. S.T.E.M.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 10
MAKING MODERN SCIENCE WITH ARTNot until the second semester of my senioryear did I start to self-define where I stand onthe S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. debate.This was a result of taking The History andPhilosophy of Science and Technology atMBU. The main reason I had taken this classwas because it was a general educationcourse for my degree. However, this classended up being more advantageous than Iever could have fathomed. The required textbook for this class was titled“Making Modern Science” by Peter J. Bowlerand Iwan Rhys Morus. The purpose of thisbook was to look at scientific andtechnological advancements and scientificphilosophies during early points in history ofthe sixteenth century to the twentiethcentury. While reading this book I had not expectedto find much overlap between S.T.E.M. andS.T.E.A.M. (more specifically aboutcommunications studies topics), however Iwas pleasantly surprised that there are manycommunications components that wereutilized in the past and are still utilizedpresently as conveyed in “Making ModernScience.”When reading this book the first encounterwhere I observed S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.combining forces was in the book's descriptionof how the process of photography wasbeneficial in portraying certain S.T.E.M.demonstrations while also being not only acreative process but a scientific process as well. “The development of photography during the1830s also seemed to many observers to be anexample of one natural force being used toproduce another. The images being producedwere the result of light — one kind of force —producing a chemical reaction — the outcomeof another kind of force, usually known at thetime as chemical affinity.” (85).S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 11 Going back throughout history science and art have been continuously developing. Seemingly thesetwo fields though independent from each other in history are becoming necessary colaborators of thefuture. MAKING MODERN SCIENCE WITH ARTNot until the second semester of my senioryear did I start to self-define where I stand onthe S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. debate.This was a result of taking The History andPhilosophy of Science and Technology atMBU. The main reason I had taken this classwas because it was a general educationcourse for my degree. However, this classended up being more advantageous than Iever could have fathomed. The required textbook for this class was titled“Making Modern Science” by Peter J. Bowlerand Iwan Rhys Morus. The purpose of thisbook was to look at scientific andtechnological advancements and scientificphilosophies during early points in history ofthe sixteenth century to the twentiethcentury. While reading this book I had not expectedto find much overlap between S.T.E.M. andS.T.E.A.M. (more specifically aboutcommunications studies topics), however Iwas pleasantly surprised that there are manycommunications components that wereutilized in the past and are still utilizedpresently as conveyed in “Making ModernScience.”When reading this book the first encounterwhere I observed S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.combining forces was in the book's descriptionof how the process of photography wasbeneficial in portraying certain S.T.E.M.demonstrations while also being not only acreative process but a scientific process as well. “The development of photography during the1830s also seemed to many observers to be anexample of one natural force being used toproduce another. The images being producedwere the result of light — one kind of force —producing a chemical reaction — the outcomeof another kind of force, usually known at thetime as chemical affinity.” (85).S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 11 Going back throughout history science and art have been continuously developing. Seemingly thesetwo fields though independent from each other in history are becoming necessary colaborators of thefuture.
The concept of chemical affinity exploreshow chemistry and visual componentsintertwined during the nineteenth century. Continuing on page 85 of the text, it isexplained that chemical layering was acommon practice of this century'sphotography processes, thus makingphotography in its earliest forms a centralnecessity of the nineteenth-century S.T.E.M.culture. I had never truly consideredphotography as being something that isactually beneficial when it comes tocapturing “science.” I had only learned andused photography as a part of mycommunications studies degree so I hadn’tstopped to think about or associate this actas being useful in the S.T.E.M. field. Reading “Making Modern Science” made merealize how essential photography is fromstrictly a creative point of view,but also from the perspective of producingimages for data analysis and in-depthscientific studies. “Developments in photography andspectroscopy during the second half of thenineteenth century also provided newammunition for ongoing debates about thetrue constitution of nebulae and othercelestial objects. Some astronomers hopedthat photography might be able to capturefeatures of distant objects in the night skiesfallible human eyes might miss ormisinterpret” (281-282).Without the S.T.E.M. components that makeup photography such as any type of image-capturing device, there requires someonewith the ability to have good S.T.E.A.M. skillsto be able to both creatively and analyticallyarticulate the vastness that exists in nature. So, when it comes to photography I hold theview that this practice thrives best whenS.T.E.A.M. is involved. Additional takeaways I found useful whenobserving the topic of S.T.E.M. vs S.T.E.A.M. inthis book were covered in the PopularScience chapter.This chapter entailed descriptions of howvarious audiences might come to know,understand and appreciate modern science.“We now think of audiences as having anactive rather than just a passive relationshipto the production of scientific knowledge.Not only does the way in which the scientistchooses to present his or her work toS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 12"Making Modern Science" is a great book thatprovides different perspectives on modernscience and it's advancements throughouttime. The concept of chemical affinity exploreshow chemistry and visual componentsintertwined during the nineteenth century. Continuing on page 85 of the text, it isexplained that chemical layering was acommon practice of this century'sphotography processes, thus makingphotography in its earliest forms a centralnecessity of the nineteenth-century S.T.E.M.culture. I had never truly consideredphotography as being something that isactually beneficial when it comes tocapturing “science.” I had only learned andused photography as a part of mycommunications studies degree so I hadn’tstopped to think about or associate this actas being useful in the S.T.E.M. field. Reading “Making Modern Science” made merealize how essential photography is fromstrictly a creative point of view,but also from the perspective of producingimages for data analysis and in-depthscientific studies. “Developments in photography andspectroscopy during the second half of thenineteenth century also provided newammunition for ongoing debates about thetrue constitution of nebulae and othercelestial objects. Some astronomers hopedthat photography might be able to capturefeatures of distant objects in the night skiesfallible human eyes might miss ormisinterpret” (281-282).Without the S.T.E.M. components that makeup photography such as any type of image-capturing device, there requires someonewith the ability to have good S.T.E.A.M. skillsto be able to both creatively and analyticallyarticulate the vastness that exists in nature. So, when it comes to photography I hold theview that this practice thrives best whenS.T.E.A.M. is involved. Additional takeaways I found useful whenobserving the topic of S.T.E.M. vs S.T.E.A.M. inthis book were covered in the PopularScience chapter.This chapter entailed descriptions of howvarious audiences might come to know,understand and appreciate modern science.“We now think of audiences as having anactive rather than just a passive relationshipto the production of scientific knowledge.Not only does the way in which the scientistchooses to present his or her work toS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 12"Making Modern Science" is a great book thatprovides different perspectives on modernscience and it's advancements throughouttime.
different audiences and the context withinwhich that work is presented have importantconsequences for the way science isunderstood, but audiences themselvesactively interpret and redefine theknowledge they receive as they go along”(388).Audiences play a major role when it comes tothose who inquire and become interested inmath and science. The way these scienceand math concepts are conveyed from myexperiences and observations aligns more asbeing an art — through photography,drawings, general communications andother different forms of media andvideography. One of the leading rules that I have learnedwhen taking any type of communicationsclass is to define your target audience — whodo you want to be informed? This is primarilydone by “taking a look at the different mediathrough which scientific communicationtakes place, including books, journals, andtelevision shows” (368). A subsection titled Lecture-Room Culturewithin the chapter of Popular Science,mentions, “Public lectures formed one of themain avenues of communication betweennatural philosophers and scientists and theiraudiences” (373).Having the ability to understand S.T.E.M.concepts while also being able to articulatethem in such a manner that wasunderstandable to the general public was anessential skill to be proficient in during theearly centuries of modern science. In manyways, the art of effective communication wasthe basis for scientists becoming popularand validated in their scientific reputation. Furthermore, in 1951 in hopes of providing asense of joy in restoration and vitality withintheir community after World War II, GreatBritain, put on the Festival of Britain. “The festival’s organizers made concertedefforts to bring science and art together.Visitors could buy shirts and necklaces madeof fabrics printed with designs based on thepatterns of crystalline materials” (379).In some of my science and art type classes, Ihave never experienced much deliberatediscussions or hands-on opportunities whereart and science are practiced simultaneously,so the fact that during the Britain Festival, itsorganizers were internal in finding ways tounite science and art together, to me, seemsextremely unique.The final subsection I would like to dive intois titled Science in Print. “Scientific authors and publishers had awhole range of interests and motives forproducing books and journals of all kinds”(379). These journals and a host of others like themwere aimed at a rapidly expanding market of(relatively) leisured, literate, and mainly urbanmiddle-class readers, and science was part ofwhat that audience expected to receive in itsliterary diet” (381).More frequently than not I have come acrossscience magazines or journals, and typicallynotice within these forms of print media thatthere’s not a whole lot of emphasis onmaking these S.T.E.M. concepts“entertaining.” Sure the layout might becreative and colorful with lots of pictures butsometimes the way the information that isbeing presented can be dull and aggressivelyanalytical, and at times S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 13 different audiences and the context withinwhich that work is presented have importantconsequences for the way science isunderstood, but audiences themselvesactively interpret and redefine theknowledge they receive as they go along”(388).Audiences play a major role when it comes tothose who inquire and become interested inmath and science. The way these scienceand math concepts are conveyed from myexperiences and observations aligns more asbeing an art — through photography,drawings, general communications andother different forms of media andvideography. One of the leading rules that I have learnedwhen taking any type of communicationsclass is to define your target audience — whodo you want to be informed? This is primarilydone by “taking a look at the different mediathrough which scientific communicationtakes place, including books, journals, andtelevision shows” (368). A subsection titled Lecture-Room Culturewithin the chapter of Popular Science,mentions, “Public lectures formed one of themain avenues of communication betweennatural philosophers and scientists and theiraudiences” (373).Having the ability to understand S.T.E.M.concepts while also being able to articulatethem in such a manner that wasunderstandable to the general public was anessential skill to be proficient in during theearly centuries of modern science. In manyways, the art of effective communication wasthe basis for scientists becoming popularand validated in their scientific reputation. Furthermore, in 1951 in hopes of providing asense of joy in restoration and vitality withintheir community after World War II, GreatBritain, put on the Festival of Britain. “The festival’s organizers made concertedefforts to bring science and art together.Visitors could buy shirts and necklaces madeof fabrics printed with designs based on thepatterns of crystalline materials” (379).In some of my science and art type classes, Ihave never experienced much deliberatediscussions or hands-on opportunities whereart and science are practiced simultaneously,so the fact that during the Britain Festival, itsorganizers were internal in finding ways tounite science and art together, to me, seemsextremely unique.The final subsection I would like to dive intois titled Science in Print. “Scientific authors and publishers had awhole range of interests and motives forproducing books and journals of all kinds”(379). These journals and a host of others like themwere aimed at a rapidly expanding market of(relatively) leisured, literate, and mainly urbanmiddle-class readers, and science was part ofwhat that audience expected to receive in itsliterary diet” (381).More frequently than not I have come acrossscience magazines or journals, and typicallynotice within these forms of print media thatthere’s not a whole lot of emphasis onmaking these S.T.E.M. concepts“entertaining.” Sure the layout might becreative and colorful with lots of pictures butsometimes the way the information that isbeing presented can be dull and aggressivelyanalytical, and at times S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 13
difficult for some readers to fully understand.I do understand that there may be times inpresenting S.T.E.M. where there may berequired or intentional measures taken tosimply present just the facts, but since mybackground is in journalism andcommunications, I personally would strive toshowcase the S.T.E.M. from an artistic pointof view and share it from a fun andentertaining perspective so those who areS.T.E.M. minded, art-oriented or both canenjoy such topics.One way where science and arts cometogether in print media and in videography isin the art of science fiction. “Science fiction became an increasinglyimportant popular literary genre during thefirst half of the twentieth century. In theUnited States in particular, such sciencefiction magazines as Amazing Storiesbrought science fiction short stories todedicated audiences and fans whileproviding a living for such budding authorsas Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein” (383).Science fiction material proved to be anentertaining representation of science andother technical-type concepts. Sciencefiction allowed for science to have a sense ofcreativity and fluidity instead of being black-and-white and uniform.“Beginning in the late 1970s, the success ofthe movie block-buster Star Wars broughtabout a renewed wave of Hollywood spaceoperas as well as reviving Roddenberry’s StarTrek franchise. As with many earlynineteenth-century science exhibitions, thesuccess of much science fiction, as a literary,movie, and television genre depends onplaying with and extending their audiences’knowledge and extending their audiences'knowledge and expectations ofcontemporary science” (383-384).Which, I believe this “extending of audiences’knowledge and expectations” is mostobtainable through the art of expression, creative design and visualcommunications.I have an appreciation for both science andthe arts, which is why I think I enjoy the genreof science fiction.Star Wars is one of my most favorite moviefranchises of all time. It put into perspectivefor me how much knowledge in both S.T.E.M.and the arts are needed to make movies (andnow series) that fall under the Star Warsfranchise, so entertaining and thereforesuccessful. Thus, having an eye for creativity and visualarts as well as knowledge in S.T.E.M. is mostuseful when working in different forms ofmedia to portray and articulate math andscience concepts. Once again having the skillsets encompassing S.T.E.A.M. seems to beideal when it comes to expressingcontemporary science and then some. These were the main highlights I foundformidable while reading “Making ModernScience.”I am sure there are many other books thatshowcase how the arts can be involved withinthe S.T.E.M. field. And after taking The Historyand Philosophy of Science and Technologyclass at MBU, I have become inspired tocontinue to read more books and doadditional research, on where the fields ofS.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. are portrayed as being aunified field instead of being possiblyconsidered as two contrasting ordeconstructive areas. After reading “Making Modern Science” Ibelieve that the arts do and should have aplace in the S.T.E.M. field and more soespecially when it comes to the art ofcommunications encompassing occupationsinvolving photography, print (and now todayonline) media, journalism, videography andpublic speaking. All this being said I encourage others to read“Making Modern Science” because of theportrayal of S.T.E.A.M. throughout history but,if you also like learning about modern sciencein general it is a fantastic read. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 14 difficult for some readers to fully understand.I do understand that there may be times inpresenting S.T.E.M. where there may berequired or intentional measures taken tosimply present just the facts, but since mybackground is in journalism andcommunications, I personally would strive toshowcase the S.T.E.M. from an artistic pointof view and share it from a fun andentertaining perspective so those who areS.T.E.M. minded, art-oriented or both canenjoy such topics.One way where science and arts cometogether in print media and in videography isin the art of science fiction. “Science fiction became an increasinglyimportant popular literary genre during thefirst half of the twentieth century. In theUnited States in particular, such sciencefiction magazines as Amazing Storiesbrought science fiction short stories todedicated audiences and fans whileproviding a living for such budding authorsas Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein” (383).Science fiction material proved to be anentertaining representation of science andother technical-type concepts. Sciencefiction allowed for science to have a sense ofcreativity and fluidity instead of being black-and-white and uniform.“Beginning in the late 1970s, the success ofthe movie block-buster Star Wars broughtabout a renewed wave of Hollywood spaceoperas as well as reviving Roddenberry’s StarTrek franchise. As with many earlynineteenth-century science exhibitions, thesuccess of much science fiction, as a literary,movie, and television genre depends onplaying with and extending their audiences’knowledge and extending their audiences'knowledge and expectations ofcontemporary science” (383-384).Which, I believe this “extending of audiences’knowledge and expectations” is mostobtainable through the art of expression, creative design and visualcommunications.I have an appreciation for both science andthe arts, which is why I think I enjoy the genreof science fiction.Star Wars is one of my most favorite moviefranchises of all time. It put into perspectivefor me how much knowledge in both S.T.E.M.and the arts are needed to make movies (andnow series) that fall under the Star Warsfranchise, so entertaining and thereforesuccessful. Thus, having an eye for creativity and visualarts as well as knowledge in S.T.E.M. is mostuseful when working in different forms ofmedia to portray and articulate math andscience concepts. Once again having the skillsets encompassing S.T.E.A.M. seems to beideal when it comes to expressingcontemporary science and then some. These were the main highlights I foundformidable while reading “Making ModernScience.”I am sure there are many other books thatshowcase how the arts can be involved withinthe S.T.E.M. field. And after taking The Historyand Philosophy of Science and Technologyclass at MBU, I have become inspired tocontinue to read more books and doadditional research, on where the fields ofS.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. are portrayed as being aunified field instead of being possiblyconsidered as two contrasting ordeconstructive areas. After reading “Making Modern Science” Ibelieve that the arts do and should have aplace in the S.T.E.M. field and more soespecially when it comes to the art ofcommunications encompassing occupationsinvolving photography, print (and now todayonline) media, journalism, videography andpublic speaking. All this being said I encourage others to read“Making Modern Science” because of theportrayal of S.T.E.A.M. throughout history but,if you also like learning about modern sciencein general it is a fantastic read. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 14
SURVEY RESULTSThrough the process of trying to formulateand conclude my own opinions about theidea of S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. I wanted to gaina census of what my college communityopinions were at MBU. I asked a variety of questions and my intentwas to focus on surveying math, science,communications and fine arts professors andstudents respectively to get theirperspectives and opinions on the topic ofS.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.The findings and data analysis are as follows:I will first start with the results from the FineArts instructors at MBU.I sent 19 MBU instructors my survey to takethrough email. From that 19 I received sixresponses from Fine Arts instructors.Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from Fine Arts instructorswhere 1 was defined as strongly disagree and5 was defined as strongly agree.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 15 Conducting surveys can serve to be beneficial as a means to see trends and popular opinions. When itcomes to the debate of S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. there can be a variety of survey results that can beanalyzed. SURVEY RESULTSThrough the process of trying to formulateand conclude my own opinions about theidea of S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. I wanted to gaina census of what my college communityopinions were at MBU. I asked a variety of questions and my intentwas to focus on surveying math, science,communications and fine arts professors andstudents respectively to get theirperspectives and opinions on the topic ofS.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.The findings and data analysis are as follows:I will first start with the results from the FineArts instructors at MBU.I sent 19 MBU instructors my survey to takethrough email. From that 19 I received sixresponses from Fine Arts instructors.Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from Fine Arts instructorswhere 1 was defined as strongly disagree and5 was defined as strongly agree.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 15 Conducting surveys can serve to be beneficial as a means to see trends and popular opinions. When itcomes to the debate of S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. there can be a variety of survey results that can beanalyzed.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 16 S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 16
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 17Next, I will share the results from theMath/Science professors. Once again, I sent 19 MBU instructors mysurvey to take through email. From that 19 Ireceived six responses from math andscience instructors.Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from Math and Scienceinstructors where 1 was defined as stronglydisagree and 5 was defined as strongly agree. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 17Next, I will share the results from theMath/Science professors. Once again, I sent 19 MBU instructors mysurvey to take through email. From that 19 Ireceived six responses from math andscience instructors.Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from Math and Scienceinstructors where 1 was defined as stronglydisagree and 5 was defined as strongly agree.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 18 S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 18
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S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 21There are two more groups to share surveyresults from.The next group to look at is Fine Artsstudents.I sent 38 MBU students my survey to takethrough email. From that 38 I received 13responses from fine arts students. Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from Fine Arts students where1 was defined as strongly disagree and 5 wasdefined as strongly agree. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 21There are two more groups to share surveyresults from.The next group to look at is Fine Artsstudents.I sent 38 MBU students my survey to takethrough email. From that 38 I received 13responses from fine arts students. Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from Fine Arts students where1 was defined as strongly disagree and 5 wasdefined as strongly agree.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 22 S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 22
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S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 25Lastly, there are the results of the math andscience students' survey to analyze.To reiterate, I sent 38 MBU students mysurvey to take through email. From that 38 Ireceived 11 responses from math and sciencestudents. Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from math and sciencestudents where 1 was defined as stronglydisagree and 5 was defined as strongly agree. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 25Lastly, there are the results of the math andscience students' survey to analyze.To reiterate, I sent 38 MBU students mysurvey to take through email. From that 38 Ireceived 11 responses from math and sciencestudents. Provided are screenshots of some of thesurvey results from math and sciencestudents where 1 was defined as stronglydisagree and 5 was defined as strongly agree.
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For the most part, the survey data turned outas I had anticipated. I didn’t find the results ofboth the fine arts professors and students tobe too out of the ordinary. I had assumed since art is fluid and diverse inways more than S.T.E.M. is on its own, the finearts professor and students would share thesimilar perspective that the arts should havea place and be collaborative within technicalfields of S.T.E.M. When analyzing the results of the math andscience professors and students some of theresults were what I had expected, but somewere not. I had expected that math and sciencestudents and professors would not be infavor of S.T.E.A.M., but for the most part, thiswas not the case. What I also had not expected was how mathand science students don’t necessarily feelthe most confident in articulating math andscience concepts. While they understandtheir field well it may not come as naturallyto these students to be able to explain suchtopics. After looking at the results of my survey itseems to be that people at MBU are in favorof the arts being incorporated into S.T.E.M.allowing for it to be defined as S.T.E.A.M.rather. I wasn’t necessarily aiming to make thissurvey to provide solidified proof, my intentwas to just allow others to share theiropinions and personal experiences when itcame to the discussion of S.T.E.M. andS.T.E.A.M. I wanted to see how closely the opinions ofprofessors and students might align withmine but ultimately, my experience andopinions may not be the same as others so Iwanted others to share how they felt aboutthis subject.Since I conducted this survey at my Christianuniversity and I myself try my best to utilize my God-given gifts for His honor andglory, I wanted to look at Biblical scripture tosee if there might be any verse that couldaddress the topic of S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M.When it came to S.T.E.A.M. vs. S.T.E.M., afterlooking at my own opinions and the opinionof others I wanted to know – what might Godsay?The Holy Spirit put on my heart Exodus 38:30-35. The verse states, “30 Then Moses said tothe people of Israel, “See, the Lord has calledby name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, ofthe tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled himwith the Spirit of God, with skill, withintelligence, with knowledge, and with allcraftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, towork in gold and silver and bronze, 33 incutting stones for setting, and in carvingwood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And hehas inspired him to teach, both him andOholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe ofDan. 35 He has filled them with skill to doevery sort of work done by an engraver or by adesigner or by an embroiderer in blue andpurple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen,or by a weaver—by any sort of workman orskilled designer.”This verse is written in the context of theTabernacle being built and the courtyard thatsurrounds it as explained in the oldtestament.Today, we might think of the act of cutting,building and constructing stone as a form ofengineering or architectural building andembroidering as a form of art.However, God equips Bezalel with the skills ofart and craftsmanship. From this verse, thereare many elements of S.T.E.M. that areprovided as well as art. God emphasizes herethat there is craftsmanship in art and art thattakes place through craftsmanship. To me, when I read this scripture I concludethat God can equip people to be multifacetedin different skills, ones that are technical, art-oriented or both. This verse shows that art canbe a technical skill and that technical skillscan be an art. Because we are human we hold opinions and S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 30 For the most part, the survey data turned outas I had anticipated. I didn’t find the results ofboth the fine arts professors and students tobe too out of the ordinary. I had assumed since art is fluid and diverse inways more than S.T.E.M. is on its own, the finearts professor and students would share thesimilar perspective that the arts should havea place and be collaborative within technicalfields of S.T.E.M. When analyzing the results of the math andscience professors and students some of theresults were what I had expected, but somewere not. I had expected that math and sciencestudents and professors would not be infavor of S.T.E.A.M., but for the most part, thiswas not the case. What I also had not expected was how mathand science students don’t necessarily feelthe most confident in articulating math andscience concepts. While they understandtheir field well it may not come as naturallyto these students to be able to explain suchtopics. After looking at the results of my survey itseems to be that people at MBU are in favorof the arts being incorporated into S.T.E.M.allowing for it to be defined as S.T.E.A.M.rather. I wasn’t necessarily aiming to make thissurvey to provide solidified proof, my intentwas to just allow others to share theiropinions and personal experiences when itcame to the discussion of S.T.E.M. andS.T.E.A.M. I wanted to see how closely the opinions ofprofessors and students might align withmine but ultimately, my experience andopinions may not be the same as others so Iwanted others to share how they felt aboutthis subject.Since I conducted this survey at my Christianuniversity and I myself try my best to utilize my God-given gifts for His honor andglory, I wanted to look at Biblical scripture tosee if there might be any verse that couldaddress the topic of S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M.When it came to S.T.E.A.M. vs. S.T.E.M., afterlooking at my own opinions and the opinionof others I wanted to know – what might Godsay?The Holy Spirit put on my heart Exodus 38:30-35. The verse states, “30 Then Moses said tothe people of Israel, “See, the Lord has calledby name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, ofthe tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled himwith the Spirit of God, with skill, withintelligence, with knowledge, and with allcraftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, towork in gold and silver and bronze, 33 incutting stones for setting, and in carvingwood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And hehas inspired him to teach, both him andOholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe ofDan. 35 He has filled them with skill to doevery sort of work done by an engraver or by adesigner or by an embroiderer in blue andpurple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen,or by a weaver—by any sort of workman orskilled designer.”This verse is written in the context of theTabernacle being built and the courtyard thatsurrounds it as explained in the oldtestament.Today, we might think of the act of cutting,building and constructing stone as a form ofengineering or architectural building andembroidering as a form of art.However, God equips Bezalel with the skills ofart and craftsmanship. From this verse, thereare many elements of S.T.E.M. that areprovided as well as art. God emphasizes herethat there is craftsmanship in art and art thattakes place through craftsmanship. To me, when I read this scripture I concludethat God can equip people to be multifacetedin different skills, ones that are technical, art-oriented or both. This verse shows that art canbe a technical skill and that technical skillscan be an art. Because we are human we hold opinions and S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 30
favor certain beliefs over others, however, wecan also look to scripture for insights on howGod has blessed His creation with knowledgeand skills to honor and glorify Him.From a worldly or secular perspective, Iwould say that S.T.E.M. degrees and careersare more recognized and respected incomparison to fine arts. This can be seen through how people inthese respective fields are addressed andhow they receive their paychecks.Though, when looking at S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.from a secular perspective I believe that Godviews both fields as being comparable. In hisview, one is not better or more adequatethan the other. Each requires skills that are not of our ownbut of the Lord’s.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 31 When I was a junior in high school I took aclass called Applied Science Research. In thisclass, I conducted research and gatheredsurvey data on traffic patterns that occurredin 2018 on highway route 141, located inFenton, Missouri.When I was a freshman in high school I tookIntroduction to Engineering. This class was aProject Lead The Way course, which inspiresyoung student's to find passion in learningabout math and science. In this picture here Iam a featured presenter at the math andscience fair where I show off my meticulouslydesigned and engineered puzzle cube. favor certain beliefs over others, however, wecan also look to scripture for insights on howGod has blessed His creation with knowledgeand skills to honor and glorify Him.From a worldly or secular perspective, Iwould say that S.T.E.M. degrees and careersare more recognized and respected incomparison to fine arts. This can be seen through how people inthese respective fields are addressed andhow they receive their paychecks.Though, when looking at S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.from a secular perspective I believe that Godviews both fields as being comparable. In hisview, one is not better or more adequatethan the other. Each requires skills that are not of our ownbut of the Lord’s.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 31 When I was a junior in high school I took aclass called Applied Science Research. In thisclass, I conducted research and gatheredsurvey data on traffic patterns that occurredin 2018 on highway route 141, located inFenton, Missouri.When I was a freshman in high school I tookIntroduction to Engineering. This class was aProject Lead The Way course, which inspiresyoung student's to find passion in learningabout math and science. In this picture here Iam a featured presenter at the math andscience fair where I show off my meticulouslydesigned and engineered puzzle cube.
CORE COMPETENCIES INCOMPANIESThe workplace plays a major role when itcomes to both S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. Some workplace environments that requireS.T.E.M. concepts and elements to besuccessful also add elements of art into themix, but there are also some instances wherethis is not always the case. I have encountered two different companies,one that practices S.T.E.M. well and anotherthat exercises S.T.E.A.M. This is not to say thatone company that performs one is betterthan the other, this just means thatsometimes in the S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. world,there are organizations that may have corecompetencies in one over the other. This inturn plays a factor in what drives thesecompanies to be proficient in what they areproducing for their target market or targetaudiences.The two enterprises I would like to compareand contrast are Nucor-Yamato Steel (NYS)located in Blytheville, Arkansas, and Walt Disney World (WDW), located in Orlando,Florida. While Nucor-Yamato Steel is S.T.E.M. in natureat its core, the Walt Disney Company is moreS.T.E.A.M. oriented. These companies arenoticeably different in what they produce so itmakes sense that some of their corecompetencies would highlight different fields.However, from what I observed having visitedboth organizations is that being proficient indistinct core competencies is sometimesnecessary so that these organizations canexecute their jobs well while promoting theirbusiness model brand and selling theirproducts respectively.On March 13, 2023, I did a site visit at Nucor-Yamato Steel and was given a personal tour bymy uncle, Jim Schoen, who is a PlantMetallurgist for NYS. Nucor-Yamato Steel Company has beenS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 32 A company's areas of core competence can be a leading factor in its success. Sometimes companies ororganizations have strengths and weaknesses in different areas allowing for an abundance ofcollaboration in the workforce. CORE COMPETENCIES INCOMPANIESThe workplace plays a major role when itcomes to both S.T.E.M. and S.T.E.A.M. Some workplace environments that requireS.T.E.M. concepts and elements to besuccessful also add elements of art into themix, but there are also some instances wherethis is not always the case. I have encountered two different companies,one that practices S.T.E.M. well and anotherthat exercises S.T.E.A.M. This is not to say thatone company that performs one is betterthan the other, this just means thatsometimes in the S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M. world,there are organizations that may have corecompetencies in one over the other. This inturn plays a factor in what drives thesecompanies to be proficient in what they areproducing for their target market or targetaudiences.The two enterprises I would like to compareand contrast are Nucor-Yamato Steel (NYS)located in Blytheville, Arkansas, and Walt Disney World (WDW), located in Orlando,Florida. While Nucor-Yamato Steel is S.T.E.M. in natureat its core, the Walt Disney Company is moreS.T.E.A.M. oriented. These companies arenoticeably different in what they produce so itmakes sense that some of their corecompetencies would highlight different fields.However, from what I observed having visitedboth organizations is that being proficient indistinct core competencies is sometimesnecessary so that these organizations canexecute their jobs well while promoting theirbusiness model brand and selling theirproducts respectively.On March 13, 2023, I did a site visit at Nucor-Yamato Steel and was given a personal tour bymy uncle, Jim Schoen, who is a PlantMetallurgist for NYS. Nucor-Yamato Steel Company has beenS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 32 A company's areas of core competence can be a leading factor in its success. Sometimes companies ororganizations have strengths and weaknesses in different areas allowing for an abundance ofcollaboration in the workforce.
producing steel since 1988, and was formedas a joint venture between Nucor andYamato Kogyo in 1986.Schoen, a 1984 Missouri S&T graduatereceived his degree in MetallurgicalEngineering.Working in the steel industry since 1984 andworking for NYS for 22 years as a plantmetallurgist Schoen has experience in manyof the different areas that are needed at asteel production plant such as the meltingshop, rolling mill, and testing areas.The day before my site visit my uncle gaveme a presentational overview of what I wouldbe seeing and a lot of the core S.T.E.M.concepts that go into making steel and howit is used after it is produced.I had a little background in structuralengineering from taking Principles ofEngineering in high school, but I wasn’t toofamiliar with metallurgical engineering, sobeing provided with this contextualbackground of NYS was helpful andinformative going into being able to see theplant in person. The two important things I learned prior toseeing NYS in person were the generalprocesses that go into making steel, why thechemistry of the steel needs to be alteredduring the process and the different types ofsteel beams, channels, sections, etc. that canbe produced and what they are used for. Before talking with my uncle I hadn’t realizedthere was more than just the H- beam and the I-beam when it came to steelproduction. These are typically the two typesof constructional steel beams that arecovered in entry-level S.T.E.M.-type class. Ilearned there are many more products thatcan be made from steel, however, such assections, channels and angles. Additionally, I learned there are many stepsthat go into the production of steel. Aconsumer's order specifications are one ofthe main things that can alter some of theinherent processes of steelmaking.Depending on what the steel is needed forcan affect aspects like the chemistry and thefinal cuts of the steel. Being able to see where my uncle workedwas such a fun and amazing opportunity. TheS.T.E.M. side of me was in awe of all that wentinto steel making. I mostly enjoyed howsystematic the processes to make steelbeams are. There was just so much to learnand observe. Everything that was being done had anintentional purpose behind it. From start tofinish all the NYS employees conductedspecific jobs to ensure good quality steel wasbeing produced. My two favorite areas to observe were therolling mill and the testing lab. The lab testing area was really interesting toobserve. In addition to seeing an impacttesting area, I also got to observe a tensile (ortension) stress test being applied to differentHeats (or batches of steel). I got to see a steelsample undergo a horizontal tensile testwhere it was stretched until, POP!...failure.Steel being as strong as it is, it is pretty wild tothink that it could stretch causing it to snapand break. In addition to the lab testing area, the rollingmill was neat because you get to see the steelget closer and closer to looking like theintended final product. As a result of therolling the steel gets shaped causing itslength to increase. The rolling process appliesabout 1,500 tons of pressure ontoS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 33 producing steel since 1988, and was formedas a joint venture between Nucor andYamato Kogyo in 1986.Schoen, a 1984 Missouri S&T graduatereceived his degree in MetallurgicalEngineering.Working in the steel industry since 1984 andworking for NYS for 22 years as a plantmetallurgist Schoen has experience in manyof the different areas that are needed at asteel production plant such as the meltingshop, rolling mill, and testing areas.The day before my site visit my uncle gaveme a presentational overview of what I wouldbe seeing and a lot of the core S.T.E.M.concepts that go into making steel and howit is used after it is produced.I had a little background in structuralengineering from taking Principles ofEngineering in high school, but I wasn’t toofamiliar with metallurgical engineering, sobeing provided with this contextualbackground of NYS was helpful andinformative going into being able to see theplant in person. The two important things I learned prior toseeing NYS in person were the generalprocesses that go into making steel, why thechemistry of the steel needs to be alteredduring the process and the different types ofsteel beams, channels, sections, etc. that canbe produced and what they are used for. Before talking with my uncle I hadn’t realizedthere was more than just the H- beam and the I-beam when it came to steelproduction. These are typically the two typesof constructional steel beams that arecovered in entry-level S.T.E.M.-type class. Ilearned there are many more products thatcan be made from steel, however, such assections, channels and angles. Additionally, I learned there are many stepsthat go into the production of steel. Aconsumer's order specifications are one ofthe main things that can alter some of theinherent processes of steelmaking.Depending on what the steel is needed forcan affect aspects like the chemistry and thefinal cuts of the steel. Being able to see where my uncle workedwas such a fun and amazing opportunity. TheS.T.E.M. side of me was in awe of all that wentinto steel making. I mostly enjoyed howsystematic the processes to make steelbeams are. There was just so much to learnand observe. Everything that was being done had anintentional purpose behind it. From start tofinish all the NYS employees conductedspecific jobs to ensure good quality steel wasbeing produced. My two favorite areas to observe were therolling mill and the testing lab. The lab testing area was really interesting toobserve. In addition to seeing an impacttesting area, I also got to observe a tensile (ortension) stress test being applied to differentHeats (or batches of steel). I got to see a steelsample undergo a horizontal tensile testwhere it was stretched until, POP!...failure.Steel being as strong as it is, it is pretty wild tothink that it could stretch causing it to snapand break. In addition to the lab testing area, the rollingmill was neat because you get to see the steelget closer and closer to looking like theintended final product. As a result of therolling the steel gets shaped causing itslength to increase. The rolling process appliesabout 1,500 tons of pressure ontoS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 33
the steel and some beams can get up to 320ft. long before it is cut and shipped out. The making of steel is something I don’tthink people typically think of in their day-to-day lives. When visiting a place like BuschStadium where the Saint Louis Cardinals playin Saint Louis, Missouri, fans just show up towatch a baseball game. People never stop tothink about how in the world the buildinggot built, or how it is structurally sound. Upona closer look, it can be observed that thereare H-beams that are an intricate part of thestructural integrity of Busch Stadium. Nowanytime I see steel while I'm out and aboutI’m going to check to see if it was producedby NYS.One of the biggest takeaways that I gainedfrom this visit is how each element of S.T.E.M.can be observed in a matter of seconds uponstepping foot onto the plant. Science isrepresented in the need to understand thecomposition of different metals and how thechemistry may need to be adjusted in thesteel-making process. Technology isrepresented through the computers,cameras, monitors and machinerymechanisms needed to process the steel.Engineering can be viewed through simplyknowing how the steel needs to bemanufactured for structural assurance and inhow the plant was constructed itself. Mathcan be utilized in calculating the final lengthof the for the intended consumer. Needlessto say, NYS is the most S.T.E.M. involvedfacility I have ever visited.After visiting NYS I have a better appreciationof why it is strictly a S.T.E.M.-centered facility.Mixing in an abundance of creative or art-focused components to this process coulddistract from the overall goal and mission ofwhat NYS is producing - steel. Steel isindustrial and needs to be purposeful, sothere doesn’t (or even shouldn’t) be artcomponents involved to detract from theproduction of such a complex element.Some art components that can be observed slightly at NYS are in communicationprocesses and through plant tourinteractions and news releases that getposted on Nucor’s website. For example, myUncle Jim explained to me, “There aren’tspecific certifications to give plant tours butthere is for general Safety Training. Thosewho give the tours just need to know therequired PPE, where we can safely takevisitors, and know the process. The training(non-mandatory but very helpful) forpresentations was a class at Nucor called“Dynamic Presenter.” It was a week-longclass that, for me, built up my confidence.Each class is just a group of 10 and we filmedand critiqued each person several timesthroughout that week. The final on day fivewas a seven minute long presentation thatwe were assigned on day one. Mine waswashing dishes, another person wasassigned packing luggage for air travel andanother was making the perfect hamburger.You’d be surprised with the quality of thepresentations of such topics. The mostrewarding thing after having completed thistraining, is that I have more confidence whenspeaking. Not sure I’m a better presenter, butI feel like I improved.” This training that my uncle underwent doesshowcase the art of communications whichenabled him to become more equipped andconfident when sharing with others whatNYS does at its core and the objectives thecompany hopes to fulfill and maintain. All inall, though, Nucor-Yamato Steel at its heartis a S.T.E.M.-oriented company.Column continued on page 37.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 34 the steel and some beams can get up to 320ft. long before it is cut and shipped out. The making of steel is something I don’tthink people typically think of in their day-to-day lives. When visiting a place like BuschStadium where the Saint Louis Cardinals playin Saint Louis, Missouri, fans just show up towatch a baseball game. People never stop tothink about how in the world the buildinggot built, or how it is structurally sound. Upona closer look, it can be observed that thereare H-beams that are an intricate part of thestructural integrity of Busch Stadium. Nowanytime I see steel while I'm out and aboutI’m going to check to see if it was producedby NYS.One of the biggest takeaways that I gainedfrom this visit is how each element of S.T.E.M.can be observed in a matter of seconds uponstepping foot onto the plant. Science isrepresented in the need to understand thecomposition of different metals and how thechemistry may need to be adjusted in thesteel-making process. Technology isrepresented through the computers,cameras, monitors and machinerymechanisms needed to process the steel.Engineering can be viewed through simplyknowing how the steel needs to bemanufactured for structural assurance and inhow the plant was constructed itself. Mathcan be utilized in calculating the final lengthof the for the intended consumer. Needlessto say, NYS is the most S.T.E.M. involvedfacility I have ever visited.After visiting NYS I have a better appreciationof why it is strictly a S.T.E.M.-centered facility.Mixing in an abundance of creative or art-focused components to this process coulddistract from the overall goal and mission ofwhat NYS is producing - steel. Steel isindustrial and needs to be purposeful, sothere doesn’t (or even shouldn’t) be artcomponents involved to detract from theproduction of such a complex element.Some art components that can be observed slightly at NYS are in communicationprocesses and through plant tourinteractions and news releases that getposted on Nucor’s website. For example, myUncle Jim explained to me, “There aren’tspecific certifications to give plant tours butthere is for general Safety Training. Thosewho give the tours just need to know therequired PPE, where we can safely takevisitors, and know the process. The training(non-mandatory but very helpful) forpresentations was a class at Nucor called“Dynamic Presenter.” It was a week-longclass that, for me, built up my confidence.Each class is just a group of 10 and we filmedand critiqued each person several timesthroughout that week. The final on day fivewas a seven minute long presentation thatwe were assigned on day one. Mine waswashing dishes, another person wasassigned packing luggage for air travel andanother was making the perfect hamburger.You’d be surprised with the quality of thepresentations of such topics. The mostrewarding thing after having completed thistraining, is that I have more confidence whenspeaking. Not sure I’m a better presenter, butI feel like I improved.” This training that my uncle underwent doesshowcase the art of communications whichenabled him to become more equipped andconfident when sharing with others whatNYS does at its core and the objectives thecompany hopes to fulfill and maintain. All inall, though, Nucor-Yamato Steel at its heartis a S.T.E.M.-oriented company.Column continued on page 37.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 34
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 35NUCOR YAMATO STEELAll Photos by Jessica Kunkel "Living each day withgratitude for the families,customers and partners thatmake our work possible."NUCORE-YAMATOSTEELNucor-Yamato Steel utilizes a rarecasting method that produces abeam blank that resembles theshape to that of a finished beam.This is a common beam blank moldused for steel production at NYS.This blank mold allows NYS tomanufacture wide-flange beams ina safe and efficient manner.Out from the Mississippi River,outsourced CRST truck driverstake scrap steel that has beenbrought to Nucor-Yamato bybarges, and transport this scrapup the half-mile trek toward theindustrial steel mill.As I am all geared up in the properpersonal protective equipment, myUncle Jim, shows me half of a brokentensile test specimen in his office,before taking me on a personal tourof Nucor-Yamato Steel. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 35NUCOR YAMATO STEELAll Photos by Jessica Kunkel "Living each day withgratitude for the families,customers and partners thatmake our work possible."NUCORE-YAMATOSTEELNucor-Yamato Steel utilizes a rarecasting method that produces abeam blank that resembles theshape to that of a finished beam.This is a common beam blank moldused for steel production at NYS.This blank mold allows NYS tomanufacture wide-flange beams ina safe and efficient manner.Out from the Mississippi River,outsourced CRST truck driverstake scrap steel that has beenbrought to Nucor-Yamato bybarges, and transport this scrapup the half-mile trek toward theindustrial steel mill.As I am all geared up in the properpersonal protective equipment, myUncle Jim, shows me half of a brokentensile test specimen in his office,before taking me on a personal tourof Nucor-Yamato Steel.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 36After a steel beam blank is re-heatedto approximately 2,350 degreesFahrenheit in the plant's furnace, itgoes through the rolling process.With this intense heat of this blank,it's now malleable allowing for it toundergo 11 initial passes through arolling stand where it is shaped by1,500 tons of pressure. Then the beamblank will be passed along to anotherset of rollers where it will belengthened and finally cut to theclient's specifications.Molten steel that has already beencorrectly chemistry adjusted andtemperature checked, is being poured intoa continuous caster of a beam blankwater-cooled copper mold, as seen on thepage to the left.Nucor-Yamato Steel, located in Blytheville,Arkansas, has the capacity to produce over2.5 million tons of steel per year. Thisincludes but not limited to wide-flangebeams, but also H-piling, sheet piling,standard I-beams, channels and variousother structural shapes. Nucor-Yamato isproficient in producing high-strength andlow-alloy beams, which are used incommon applications such as gravitycolumns for high-rise buildings, long-spantrusses for stadiums and conventioncenters and for all projects where seismicdesign is a critical factor. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 36After a steel beam blank is re-heatedto approximately 2,350 degreesFahrenheit in the plant's furnace, itgoes through the rolling process.With this intense heat of this blank,it's now malleable allowing for it toundergo 11 initial passes through arolling stand where it is shaped by1,500 tons of pressure. Then the beamblank will be passed along to anotherset of rollers where it will belengthened and finally cut to theclient's specifications.Molten steel that has already beencorrectly chemistry adjusted andtemperature checked, is being poured intoa continuous caster of a beam blankwater-cooled copper mold, as seen on thepage to the left.Nucor-Yamato Steel, located in Blytheville,Arkansas, has the capacity to produce over2.5 million tons of steel per year. Thisincludes but not limited to wide-flangebeams, but also H-piling, sheet piling,standard I-beams, channels and variousother structural shapes. Nucor-Yamato isproficient in producing high-strength andlow-alloy beams, which are used incommon applications such as gravitycolumns for high-rise buildings, long-spantrusses for stadiums and conventioncenters and for all projects where seismicdesign is a critical factor.
On the other side of the spectrum, WaltDisney World is inherently a S.T.E.A.M.oriented theme park.I have had many opportunities to visit WDW,but the last trip I took there was in May of2019. Unlike my visit to NYS, where myintentions were to learn and understand theindustrial manufacturing of steel, I wasvisiting WDW as a vocational experience.But unexpectedly this trip ended up beingmore educational than I had anticipated.On this trip, my mom and I had three uniqueexperiences that opened my eyes to howintentional WDW is about involving the arts,or entertainment rather, alongside someS.T.E.M. elements within the theme parksalone. These experiences were: Disney’s Keysto the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom, theUndiscovered Future World tour in EPCOTand a lunch with a Disney Imagineer atHollywood Studios in the Hollywood BrownDerby restaurant. My Mom and I decided to do theseopportunities because we thought it wouldbe fun to get some inside scopes on allthings WDW and to learn how it got towhere it is today while learning the “why”behind all the Disney magic.While on the Keys to the Kingdom tour, welearned the core competencies that makeupWDW and the Walt Disney Company as awhole would be outlined in their company'sfive keys for successful company operations-they are in order of importance: safety,courtesy, inclusion, show and efficiency. When looking at WDW through this lens it isapparent how S.T.E.A.M.-driven thisorganization truly is. I mean even the title ofImagineer embodies the meaning ofS.T.E.A.M. Disney Imagineering is a S.T.E.A.M. concept.From the Imagineer I got to meet during mylunch at WDW, I learned how multifacetedS.T.E.A.M is and how it is needed to beproficient not only as anImagineer but also as just a general Disneyemployee. He even mentioned that it isuncommon to get people who are creativelyoriented but also have knowledge in scienceand math concepts, which is a main reasonwhy the Disney Company came up with thetitle of Imagineering. It takes knowledge inboth art and science to be a full-fledgedImagineer.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 37EPCOT is Walt Disney World's epicenter ofinvitation. There are many different learningopportunities in this park, one, more unique thanthe next. Photo by Jessica KunkelAt WDW from each ride and attraction alone,there is a S.T.E.A.M. component that isrepresented. Yes, it takes a large portion ofS.T.E.M. to physically make or possiblyoperate the rides but, S.T.E.A.M. is required tomake these rides come to life and become afully immersive experience. The Undiscovered Future World tour I didconveyed that the purpose of this park is tobe an experimental prototype community oftomorrow. Meaning innovation is alwayshappening whether that be from the past,today, the future, all over the world or in andin different elements found in the world. The epicenter of EPCOT, the ride SpaceshipEarth is literally one giant sphere where thearts and S.T.E.M. join forces and come to lifein such a major way. This ride takes gueststhroughout moments in history whereparamount inventions and creations ofS.T.E.M. and art were established, such as theinvention of the alphabet as a primary On the other side of the spectrum, WaltDisney World is inherently a S.T.E.A.M.oriented theme park.I have had many opportunities to visit WDW,but the last trip I took there was in May of2019. Unlike my visit to NYS, where myintentions were to learn and understand theindustrial manufacturing of steel, I wasvisiting WDW as a vocational experience.But unexpectedly this trip ended up beingmore educational than I had anticipated.On this trip, my mom and I had three uniqueexperiences that opened my eyes to howintentional WDW is about involving the arts,or entertainment rather, alongside someS.T.E.M. elements within the theme parksalone. These experiences were: Disney’s Keysto the Kingdom tour in Magic Kingdom, theUndiscovered Future World tour in EPCOTand a lunch with a Disney Imagineer atHollywood Studios in the Hollywood BrownDerby restaurant. My Mom and I decided to do theseopportunities because we thought it wouldbe fun to get some inside scopes on allthings WDW and to learn how it got towhere it is today while learning the “why”behind all the Disney magic.While on the Keys to the Kingdom tour, welearned the core competencies that makeupWDW and the Walt Disney Company as awhole would be outlined in their company'sfive keys for successful company operations-they are in order of importance: safety,courtesy, inclusion, show and efficiency. When looking at WDW through this lens it isapparent how S.T.E.A.M.-driven thisorganization truly is. I mean even the title ofImagineer embodies the meaning ofS.T.E.A.M. Disney Imagineering is a S.T.E.A.M. concept.From the Imagineer I got to meet during mylunch at WDW, I learned how multifacetedS.T.E.A.M is and how it is needed to beproficient not only as anImagineer but also as just a general Disneyemployee. He even mentioned that it isuncommon to get people who are creativelyoriented but also have knowledge in scienceand math concepts, which is a main reasonwhy the Disney Company came up with thetitle of Imagineering. It takes knowledge inboth art and science to be a full-fledgedImagineer.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 37EPCOT is Walt Disney World's epicenter ofinvitation. There are many different learningopportunities in this park, one, more unique thanthe next. Photo by Jessica KunkelAt WDW from each ride and attraction alone,there is a S.T.E.A.M. component that isrepresented. Yes, it takes a large portion ofS.T.E.M. to physically make or possiblyoperate the rides but, S.T.E.A.M. is required tomake these rides come to life and become afully immersive experience. The Undiscovered Future World tour I didconveyed that the purpose of this park is tobe an experimental prototype community oftomorrow. Meaning innovation is alwayshappening whether that be from the past,today, the future, all over the world or in andin different elements found in the world. The epicenter of EPCOT, the ride SpaceshipEarth is literally one giant sphere where thearts and S.T.E.M. join forces and come to lifein such a major way. This ride takes gueststhroughout moments in history whereparamount inventions and creations ofS.T.E.M. and art were established, such as theinvention of the alphabet as a primary
way of universal communication, theinvention of math, the invention of the worldwide Web and so on. On this ride passengerslearn how their ancestors created the worldwe know today and then, that it is up to ustoday to continue to create the world oftomorrow. This ride distinctly shows the waysin which the arts are applied to S.T.E.M. andhow S.T.E.M. applies to the arts.My final takeaway from these tours andexperiences is that there is an intentionalstorytelling element or “entertainment value”that is readily and constantly displayed atWDW. Disney aims to portray or showcaseeverything it executes in a creative fashion.Even when we went on the tours and wentto behind-the-scenes locations outside of theparks themselves there was still an art orstorytelling element represented.When looking at WDW specifically, S.T.E.A.Mis necessary to ensure the ultimate successof this theme park and the company as awhole.Another aspect to consider when relating allof this together is an exceedingly S.T.E.M.-focused company such as NYS canmanufacture their steel products that mayend up being utilized for entertainmentindustries or organizations.U.S. Steel company provided the industrialsteel used at some WDW resorts, but this isto make the point that S.T.E.M. companiescan be beneficial to S.T.E.A.M. companies andvice versa.From this perspective, businesses that aremainly S.T.E.M. and ones that are S.T.E.A.M.can be constantly in collaboration with oneanother. Core competencies in careers are adriving factor in what makes that companysuccessful. If that means the best way for a company tosucceed such as Nucor-Yamato Steel is topractice high levels of S.T.E.M. elements to execute their product then that’s great sincethis is the production model that works bestfor them.On the other side of things, since Disney is abrand that promotes entertainment if theyintertwine the art of storytelling andcreativity into every minute detail of theirproductions and theme park designs andconstruction projects then that too is greatbecause this is the best method for thiscompany to be successful.I know there are many more organizationsthat are inherently S.T.E.M. and those thatalso incorporate art into their businessmodel. Again this is not to say one method ofproduction is better than the other.Sometimes all that is needed is S.T.E.M. to besuccessful and sometimes S.T.E.A.M. isneeded too.I would say from my perspective I personallywould thrive more in a S.T.E.A.M.environment because that is how my brainseems to be more interactive and productive.I believe that adding arts to S.T.E.M. can beoverall beneficial in a workplace environmentbut it may be hard to incorporate at times incorporations that are intrinsically systematic,analytical and process-oriented. With art,there comes a lot of fluidity and certainorganizations may not need or require theexpendability of this fluidity.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 38 way of universal communication, theinvention of math, the invention of the worldwide Web and so on. On this ride passengerslearn how their ancestors created the worldwe know today and then, that it is up to ustoday to continue to create the world oftomorrow. This ride distinctly shows the waysin which the arts are applied to S.T.E.M. andhow S.T.E.M. applies to the arts.My final takeaway from these tours andexperiences is that there is an intentionalstorytelling element or “entertainment value”that is readily and constantly displayed atWDW. Disney aims to portray or showcaseeverything it executes in a creative fashion.Even when we went on the tours and wentto behind-the-scenes locations outside of theparks themselves there was still an art orstorytelling element represented.When looking at WDW specifically, S.T.E.A.Mis necessary to ensure the ultimate successof this theme park and the company as awhole.Another aspect to consider when relating allof this together is an exceedingly S.T.E.M.-focused company such as NYS canmanufacture their steel products that mayend up being utilized for entertainmentindustries or organizations.U.S. Steel company provided the industrialsteel used at some WDW resorts, but this isto make the point that S.T.E.M. companiescan be beneficial to S.T.E.A.M. companies andvice versa.From this perspective, businesses that aremainly S.T.E.M. and ones that are S.T.E.A.M.can be constantly in collaboration with oneanother. Core competencies in careers are adriving factor in what makes that companysuccessful. If that means the best way for a company tosucceed such as Nucor-Yamato Steel is topractice high levels of S.T.E.M. elements to execute their product then that’s great sincethis is the production model that works bestfor them.On the other side of things, since Disney is abrand that promotes entertainment if theyintertwine the art of storytelling andcreativity into every minute detail of theirproductions and theme park designs andconstruction projects then that too is greatbecause this is the best method for thiscompany to be successful.I know there are many more organizationsthat are inherently S.T.E.M. and those thatalso incorporate art into their businessmodel. Again this is not to say one method ofproduction is better than the other.Sometimes all that is needed is S.T.E.M. to besuccessful and sometimes S.T.E.A.M. isneeded too.I would say from my perspective I personallywould thrive more in a S.T.E.A.M.environment because that is how my brainseems to be more interactive and productive.I believe that adding arts to S.T.E.M. can beoverall beneficial in a workplace environmentbut it may be hard to incorporate at times incorporations that are intrinsically systematic,analytical and process-oriented. With art,there comes a lot of fluidity and certainorganizations may not need or require theexpendability of this fluidity.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 38
FINAL ASSESSMENTFrom my experiences, my personal and finalconclusion is that I am a proud woman inS.T.E.A.M. I believe God has blessed me withthe creative gifts of being knowledgeable inthe arts, and S.T.E.M. I believe that those who are strictly on the artside of the spectrum and those who arestrictly on the S.T.E.M. side of the spectrumshould seek for more opportunities andcollaborations within each other's fields ofstudy. Since I have experience on both ends of thespectrum I have a primary comprehension ofhow difficult it can be to be successful inpursuing a degree or a career that is S.T.E.M.related, but I also know how hard pursuing adegree in the arts can be.For me, communications, journalism andbeing creative came a bit more naturally andI was able to perform these skills moreconfidently in a constant manner incomparison to that of S.T.E.M.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 39 How do science, technology, engineering and math along with adding art all fit together? From thiscolumn, S.T.E.A.M. is essential for corporate and educational growth in a variety of different ways.I don’t know if there will ever be a right orwrong answer when it comes to the S.T.E.M.vs. S.T.E.A.M. debate, but I do think it isimportant for universities and institutions toembrace that creativity or that the arts donot need to be mutually exclusive fromS.T.E.M. and vice versa. Holding to thisperspective can open the doors foradvancements in collaboration and a morecohesive way of understating people'sperspectives in the classroom and in theworkplace. FINAL ASSESSMENTFrom my experiences, my personal and finalconclusion is that I am a proud woman inS.T.E.A.M. I believe God has blessed me withthe creative gifts of being knowledgeable inthe arts, and S.T.E.M. I believe that those who are strictly on the artside of the spectrum and those who arestrictly on the S.T.E.M. side of the spectrumshould seek for more opportunities andcollaborations within each other's fields ofstudy. Since I have experience on both ends of thespectrum I have a primary comprehension ofhow difficult it can be to be successful inpursuing a degree or a career that is S.T.E.M.related, but I also know how hard pursuing adegree in the arts can be.For me, communications, journalism andbeing creative came a bit more naturally andI was able to perform these skills moreconfidently in a constant manner incomparison to that of S.T.E.M.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 39 How do science, technology, engineering and math along with adding art all fit together? From thiscolumn, S.T.E.A.M. is essential for corporate and educational growth in a variety of different ways.I don’t know if there will ever be a right orwrong answer when it comes to the S.T.E.M.vs. S.T.E.A.M. debate, but I do think it isimportant for universities and institutions toembrace that creativity or that the arts donot need to be mutually exclusive fromS.T.E.M. and vice versa. Holding to thisperspective can open the doors foradvancements in collaboration and a morecohesive way of understating people'sperspectives in the classroom and in theworkplace.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 40Before venturing off on The Key's of the Kingdomtour around Magic Kingdom, my mom and Ireceived these one-of-a-kind name badges.This book by Marty Sklar is near and dear to myheart because it showcases all of the S.T.E.A.M.components that are required to be a competentImagineer and an all around creative thinker.My desire is to be an advocate for S.T.E.A.M.because it promotes respect for differentideas, in addition to admiration for fields thatassumingly don’t mesh. As someone who hasexperienced the different sides of theequation, I can say there are many art skillsneeded to be proficient in S.T.E.M. and thereare many S.T.E.M. skills needed to becomeproficient in the arts and in simply beingcreative.Mae Jemison, an American engineer,physician and former NASA astronaut whowas the first African-American woman totravel into space when she served as amission specialist aboard the Space ShuttleEndeavour in 1992, provides concludingwords to this topic of S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.She expressed in a quote, “Sciences providesan understanding of a universal experience. During my sophomore year in high school in myP.O.E. class, we were instructed to build amaterial sorter from scratch in groups of three.Pictured here is an entry from my P.L.T.W.Engineering Notebook where I relay our finalconclusions of this project in a typed-upsummary starting on the right-hand-side. Thetasks I completed for this group project included35% of construction, 100% of notebook write-upjournals for the entire group, 100% of visualpresentation creation and 50% of the in-classverbal presentation. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 40Before venturing off on The Key's of the Kingdomtour around Magic Kingdom, my mom and Ireceived these one-of-a-kind name badges.This book by Marty Sklar is near and dear to myheart because it showcases all of the S.T.E.A.M.components that are required to be a competentImagineer and an all around creative thinker.My desire is to be an advocate for S.T.E.A.M.because it promotes respect for differentideas, in addition to admiration for fields thatassumingly don’t mesh. As someone who hasexperienced the different sides of theequation, I can say there are many art skillsneeded to be proficient in S.T.E.M. and thereare many S.T.E.M. skills needed to becomeproficient in the arts and in simply beingcreative.Mae Jemison, an American engineer,physician and former NASA astronaut whowas the first African-American woman totravel into space when she served as amission specialist aboard the Space ShuttleEndeavour in 1992, provides concludingwords to this topic of S.T.E.M. vs. S.T.E.A.M.She expressed in a quote, “Sciences providesan understanding of a universal experience. During my sophomore year in high school in myP.O.E. class, we were instructed to build amaterial sorter from scratch in groups of three.Pictured here is an entry from my P.L.T.W.Engineering Notebook where I relay our finalconclusions of this project in a typed-upsummary starting on the right-hand-side. Thetasks I completed for this group project included35% of construction, 100% of notebook write-upjournals for the entire group, 100% of visualpresentation creation and 50% of the in-classverbal presentation.
S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 41 During my first year of being a part of my highschool's robotics team, I worked on a metalframe fabrication that was indented tosupport the drive-train of our season's robot.During the summer of 2022, I went to theMissouri Botanical Garden located in St. Louisand took many beautiful pictures of all theflourishing blooming flowers the gardens haveto offer.Arts are a universal understanding of apersonal experience. They are both a part ofus and a manifestation of the same thing.The arts and sciences are [features] of humancreativity.”So whether you side more with S.T.E.M. overS.T.E.A.M., I hope you find yourself in aposition where learning excites you andwhere you are able to push full steam aheadinto the joys and passions your field of studyor career presents you with. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 41 During my first year of being a part of my highschool's robotics team, I worked on a metalframe fabrication that was indented tosupport the drive-train of our season's robot.During the summer of 2022, I went to theMissouri Botanical Garden located in St. Louisand took many beautiful pictures of all theflourishing blooming flowers the gardens haveto offer.Arts are a universal understanding of apersonal experience. They are both a part ofus and a manifestation of the same thing.The arts and sciences are [features] of humancreativity.”So whether you side more with S.T.E.M. overS.T.E.A.M., I hope you find yourself in aposition where learning excites you andwhere you are able to push full steam aheadinto the joys and passions your field of studyor career presents you with.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTSS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 42 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTSS.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 42
I first and foremost want to say thank you to God for blessing me with the aptitude forlearning and equipping me with skills that I have utilized in both the art and S.T.E.M. fields. Iam thankful the Holy Spirit has provided me with the words to express in this article, and thatHe has shown me the best ways to tie my passions together.I secondly want to thank my Uncle Jim Schoen for giving up his time to give me a personaltour of where he works at Nucor-Yamato. Thank you for making the experience memorableand fun. All the sites and sounds that I had the opportunity to observe were fantastic and Iam super appreciative that I got to experience the S.T.E.M. behind making steel. I would like to thank my mom and dad next for all their support and sacrifice they providedme with throughout my education. I am super grateful and blessed that God was able toprovide my family with the finances and the resources so that I could have a successfuleducation. Thank you to my boyfriend, Jacob Simmons, for being my number one fan and supportingmy ideas and opinions.Thank you, Lindsay Carlile (Coachy) for sharing your kindness and helping me get integratedinto the Missouri Baptist University community.Thank you Miss Heather Marcee for providing me with foundational English and writing skillsin middle school. Thank you for making this subject fun and thank you for the confidence youinstill in your students to be good writers.Thank you to Mr. Steven Bradly for being a fun and engaging middle school S.T.E.M. teacher. Istill remember how fun your class was. I enjoyed the rocket-building project from your class. Thank you JD Perona and Anne DeRousse for being my outstanding middle school mathteachers. I learned so much in both of your classes. And thank you for making me feelconfident in my math abilities.Thank you to Mrs. Karen Thompson, for being such a kind and entertaining middle schoolscience teacher. I remember many of the lessons that you taught in your class, andspecifically, I am appreciative of all the unique experiments and projects we got to do. Thank you Mrs. Heidi Thies for being so awesome. I remember writing a compare-and-contrast type research essay in your class. I’m glad we had the opportunity to do thisassignment because it was my first foundational introduction to understanding theimportance of having a good work cited page when conducting research or writing essays. Thank you Dr. Micah Gall for being an incredible AP Literature teacher. Your class taught meto appreciate the art of literature and how being a good writer and understanding advancedvocabulary can be beneficial in a college or career setting. Other than Miss Marcee’s Englishclass your class was by far my favorite high school English type class. Your engaging andopen way of teaching made me confident in my writing abilities.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 43 I first and foremost want to say thank you to God for blessing me with the aptitude forlearning and equipping me with skills that I have utilized in both the art and S.T.E.M. fields. Iam thankful the Holy Spirit has provided me with the words to express in this article, and thatHe has shown me the best ways to tie my passions together.I secondly want to thank my Uncle Jim Schoen for giving up his time to give me a personaltour of where he works at Nucor-Yamato. Thank you for making the experience memorableand fun. All the sites and sounds that I had the opportunity to observe were fantastic and Iam super appreciative that I got to experience the S.T.E.M. behind making steel. I would like to thank my mom and dad next for all their support and sacrifice they providedme with throughout my education. I am super grateful and blessed that God was able toprovide my family with the finances and the resources so that I could have a successfuleducation. Thank you to my boyfriend, Jacob Simmons, for being my number one fan and supportingmy ideas and opinions.Thank you, Lindsay Carlile (Coachy) for sharing your kindness and helping me get integratedinto the Missouri Baptist University community.Thank you Miss Heather Marcee for providing me with foundational English and writing skillsin middle school. Thank you for making this subject fun and thank you for the confidence youinstill in your students to be good writers.Thank you to Mr. Steven Bradly for being a fun and engaging middle school S.T.E.M. teacher. Istill remember how fun your class was. I enjoyed the rocket-building project from your class. Thank you JD Perona and Anne DeRousse for being my outstanding middle school mathteachers. I learned so much in both of your classes. And thank you for making me feelconfident in my math abilities.Thank you to Mrs. Karen Thompson, for being such a kind and entertaining middle schoolscience teacher. I remember many of the lessons that you taught in your class, andspecifically, I am appreciative of all the unique experiments and projects we got to do. Thank you Mrs. Heidi Thies for being so awesome. I remember writing a compare-and-contrast type research essay in your class. I’m glad we had the opportunity to do thisassignment because it was my first foundational introduction to understanding theimportance of having a good work cited page when conducting research or writing essays. Thank you Dr. Micah Gall for being an incredible AP Literature teacher. Your class taught meto appreciate the art of literature and how being a good writer and understanding advancedvocabulary can be beneficial in a college or career setting. Other than Miss Marcee’s Englishclass your class was by far my favorite high school English type class. Your engaging andopen way of teaching made me confident in my writing abilities.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 43
Thank you Mrs. Sarah Loyal for being a patient and delightful French teacher in both middleand high school. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn from you the importance of whybeing able to communicate in more than one language is beneficial. From taking your classesI have a stronger appreciation for the art involved in speaking French as well as a respect forFrance and its culture. Thank you Mrs. Lisa Harding for being the best high school science teacher ever. If it hadn’tbeen for taking your physics classes I don’t think I would have gained a passion for S.T.E.M.Ever since being in your class as a freshman in high school, physics has always been myfavorite science. Thank you for also encouraging me to join the robotics team, because thatwas a fruitful experience for me. Thank you Mrs. Jenny Boylan for being such a supportive math teacher in my educationalexperiences. Thank you for mentoring me and spending extra time with me during lunchtimeto help me understand math concepts. Thank you for caring about my progress and nevergiving up on me and helping me to succeed in your class. Thank you Mrs. Maggie Spurber for being the best and most outstanding Principles ofEngineering teacher ever. Along with Mrs. Harding's physics classes, your class is where I foundmy passion for S.T.E.M. The two projects that were the most fun for me and taught me themost engineering were the bridge tension project where we built bridges to learn abouttension and compression and I remember constructing the marble sorting machine in yourclass. I still have my engineering notebook and reference it from time to time to look at all theunique projects we did in P.O.E.Thank you Dr. Allin Means for being an outstanding communications and journalism teacher.Thank you for the confidence you instilled in me as I was deciding what major to pursue. I amglad I had an opportunity to learn from you. My two favorite classes that you taught wereMedia Technologies and Convergent Media. Thank you Jenny Sinmaon for giving me my foundational knowledge in photography. This wasa skill I picked up on fast. I am so thankful I got to be a part of your class. Thank you for all ofthe feedback you provided me with to continually improve as a photographer.Thank you Izzy Rinkenberger for being my senior-year communications friend. I’m so glad wehad the opportunity to get to know each other. I couldn’t have survived being MBU Timeline’smanaging editor without you being the best associate editor. I wish you the best in your futurecareer. Thank you Joel Lindsey for giving me unique opportunities to take pictures and writemagazine columns for Missouri Baptist University as the creative intern.Thank you, Dr. David Smith (Diddy), for being an outstanding Calculus and Probability andStatics teacher. I didn’t know much about calculus before taking your classes. I enjoyed them alot. You made math easy to understand and I appreciate how willing you were to not only workwith me but with all students to ensure they understand math. I am super appreciative of yourdesire to form relationships with your students both inside and outside of class. I wish youwere the teacher for all my classes.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 44 Thank you Mrs. Sarah Loyal for being a patient and delightful French teacher in both middleand high school. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn from you the importance of whybeing able to communicate in more than one language is beneficial. From taking your classesI have a stronger appreciation for the art involved in speaking French as well as a respect forFrance and its culture. Thank you Mrs. Lisa Harding for being the best high school science teacher ever. If it hadn’tbeen for taking your physics classes I don’t think I would have gained a passion for S.T.E.M.Ever since being in your class as a freshman in high school, physics has always been myfavorite science. Thank you for also encouraging me to join the robotics team, because thatwas a fruitful experience for me. Thank you Mrs. Jenny Boylan for being such a supportive math teacher in my educationalexperiences. Thank you for mentoring me and spending extra time with me during lunchtimeto help me understand math concepts. Thank you for caring about my progress and nevergiving up on me and helping me to succeed in your class. Thank you Mrs. Maggie Spurber for being the best and most outstanding Principles ofEngineering teacher ever. Along with Mrs. Harding's physics classes, your class is where I foundmy passion for S.T.E.M. The two projects that were the most fun for me and taught me themost engineering were the bridge tension project where we built bridges to learn abouttension and compression and I remember constructing the marble sorting machine in yourclass. I still have my engineering notebook and reference it from time to time to look at all theunique projects we did in P.O.E.Thank you Dr. Allin Means for being an outstanding communications and journalism teacher.Thank you for the confidence you instilled in me as I was deciding what major to pursue. I amglad I had an opportunity to learn from you. My two favorite classes that you taught wereMedia Technologies and Convergent Media. Thank you Jenny Sinmaon for giving me my foundational knowledge in photography. This wasa skill I picked up on fast. I am so thankful I got to be a part of your class. Thank you for all ofthe feedback you provided me with to continually improve as a photographer.Thank you Izzy Rinkenberger for being my senior-year communications friend. I’m so glad wehad the opportunity to get to know each other. I couldn’t have survived being MBU Timeline’smanaging editor without you being the best associate editor. I wish you the best in your futurecareer. Thank you Joel Lindsey for giving me unique opportunities to take pictures and writemagazine columns for Missouri Baptist University as the creative intern.Thank you, Dr. David Smith (Diddy), for being an outstanding Calculus and Probability andStatics teacher. I didn’t know much about calculus before taking your classes. I enjoyed them alot. You made math easy to understand and I appreciate how willing you were to not only workwith me but with all students to ensure they understand math. I am super appreciative of yourdesire to form relationships with your students both inside and outside of class. I wish youwere the teacher for all my classes.S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 44
Thank you Kennedy Bennett for being not only one of my best friends but for being a hugesupporter when it came to surviving and pushing through college calculus and Gen Chem. Icould not imagine my college experience without you and I am so glad that you were myGen Chem TA. You are so smart and you have accomplished so much in the S.T.E.M. field. Thank you Professor Kim Cochran for being a great Statistical Methods teacher. Yourteaching style really resonated with me and I enjoyed being a part of your class.Thank you Madison Vierling for being a great Linear Algebra study gal. I’m glad we spenttime studying together while being each other's biggest supporters when it came to tests.But above all else, I’m glad we were able to find the kernel. The popcorn kernel that is.Thank you Dr. Jerry Deese for being one of my favorite science teachers. I was really anxiousabout doing well in your General Physics class during my freshman year in college because ofhow stressful my experience was when taking AP Physics in high school. I went from barelypassing AP physics in high school to getting As in both your General Physics I and II classesand labs. I appreciate your teaching style and your passion to form relationships withstudents. One aspect that I appreciate most is how you conducted physics labs. I liked thatyou did the labs along with us so that the class could progress together and ask questionsalong the way. I felt that I learned a lot from performing labs in this manner. Thank you to Mikayla Harrison, Luke Little and Jeimmy Rodriguez for being some of the bestnatural science classmates I had the opportunity of engaging with. I was really nervous aboutbeing in General Physics as a freshman (my first college science class), but the three of youmade everything so fun and you made me feel welcomed into the class.Thank you Professor Alan Blize for allowing me to be your college and general physicsgrading TA during my time at MBU. This was a great opportunity. I enjoyed havingconversations with you and you are an encouraging and fun person to talk to.Thank you Dr. Mary Vedimuthu for being a phenomenal General Chemistry teacher. My highschool honors chemistry experience was rough, and I struggled to understand chemistryconcepts. In your class, however, I felt that I was able to actually comprehend chemistry andarticulate it well on homework and tests. I went from just barely passing high school honorschemistry to getting an A in your Gen Chem I class. Thank you for always being open toanswering questions, and even though we had a lot of homework packets in your class it wasdefinitely worth it because the chemistry that is taught, definitely gets ingrained in students'brains that way.Thank you Zander Smith and Brent Seyer for being outstanding study and homeworkbuddies while taking Gen Chem I. I’m glad we were all able to take the class together.I want to lastly shout out my number one girl in S.T.E.M., Bailey Laurent. Thank you for alwaysbeing such a kind, patient and gracious study buddy. Without you, I simply would not havedone as well as I did in discrete math or statistical methods. I love and appreciate our S.T.E.M.inside jokes and I will always remember our study nights in MBU’s Learning Center. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 45 Thank you Kennedy Bennett for being not only one of my best friends but for being a hugesupporter when it came to surviving and pushing through college calculus and Gen Chem. Icould not imagine my college experience without you and I am so glad that you were myGen Chem TA. You are so smart and you have accomplished so much in the S.T.E.M. field. Thank you Professor Kim Cochran for being a great Statistical Methods teacher. Yourteaching style really resonated with me and I enjoyed being a part of your class.Thank you Madison Vierling for being a great Linear Algebra study gal. I’m glad we spenttime studying together while being each other's biggest supporters when it came to tests.But above all else, I’m glad we were able to find the kernel. The popcorn kernel that is.Thank you Dr. Jerry Deese for being one of my favorite science teachers. I was really anxiousabout doing well in your General Physics class during my freshman year in college because ofhow stressful my experience was when taking AP Physics in high school. I went from barelypassing AP physics in high school to getting As in both your General Physics I and II classesand labs. I appreciate your teaching style and your passion to form relationships withstudents. One aspect that I appreciate most is how you conducted physics labs. I liked thatyou did the labs along with us so that the class could progress together and ask questionsalong the way. I felt that I learned a lot from performing labs in this manner. Thank you to Mikayla Harrison, Luke Little and Jeimmy Rodriguez for being some of the bestnatural science classmates I had the opportunity of engaging with. I was really nervous aboutbeing in General Physics as a freshman (my first college science class), but the three of youmade everything so fun and you made me feel welcomed into the class.Thank you Professor Alan Blize for allowing me to be your college and general physicsgrading TA during my time at MBU. This was a great opportunity. I enjoyed havingconversations with you and you are an encouraging and fun person to talk to.Thank you Dr. Mary Vedimuthu for being a phenomenal General Chemistry teacher. My highschool honors chemistry experience was rough, and I struggled to understand chemistryconcepts. In your class, however, I felt that I was able to actually comprehend chemistry andarticulate it well on homework and tests. I went from just barely passing high school honorschemistry to getting an A in your Gen Chem I class. Thank you for always being open toanswering questions, and even though we had a lot of homework packets in your class it wasdefinitely worth it because the chemistry that is taught, definitely gets ingrained in students'brains that way.Thank you Zander Smith and Brent Seyer for being outstanding study and homeworkbuddies while taking Gen Chem I. I’m glad we were all able to take the class together.I want to lastly shout out my number one girl in S.T.E.M., Bailey Laurent. Thank you for alwaysbeing such a kind, patient and gracious study buddy. Without you, I simply would not havedone as well as I did in discrete math or statistical methods. I love and appreciate our S.T.E.M.inside jokes and I will always remember our study nights in MBU’s Learning Center. S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 45
Thank you to allother friends andfamily for yourcontinued support inhelping me grow inmy education and asan individual. Thankyou all so much!S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 46 Thank you to allother friends andfamily for yourcontinued support inhelping me grow inmy education and asan individual. Thankyou all so much!S.T.E.E.M. Magazine | 46
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