Sparking a Passion for STEM

As the school year ends and summer celebrations begin, I encourage us all to reflect and act on ways we can collectively develop the workforce of the future. Over the past several months, I have had the chance to meet hundreds of students, spanning the elementary, middle and high school grades through to college. Every student I met was bright, talented and passionate about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and could very well be a future life sciences professional.

I had the honor of participating in the 84th Annual Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair (PRSEF) at the Carnegie Science Center. I was so impressed with the level of creativity and effort that went into these students’ original science experiments. I also took part in a STEM challenge with hundreds of children of Thermo Fisher colleagues at our Pittsburgh site. Each of our leaders led a group of students in a fun, competitive STEM activity that had kids laughing and learning. It was a highlight of my week.

As part of our commitment to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), I also participated in Thermo Fisher Day at Florida A&M University (FAMU). I believe the greatest impact I can have personally and professionally is to help set others up for success to accomplish their dreams. As a leader at Thermo Fisher, I have been able to sponsor and mentor many people, and I’ve known throughout my career that the highest-performing teams are diverse and inclusive. Diversity leads to better outcomes and inclusion helps everyone perform at their best.

As the world leader in serving science, Thermo Fisher is committed to advancing STEM education access and equity. We are working to strengthen the future talent pipeline through programs, initiatives and partnerships that connect students with high-quality STEM education, nurture their passion and help them discover their potential and confidence.

An example is The Just Project, which I’m grateful to have been involved in from the start. The program began as a humanitarian response to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black and Brown communities. Now, The Just Project promotes thought partnership and workforce development across historically Black colleges and universities. Through The Just Project, Thermo Fisher has donated $32 million in instruments, kits, and supplies; stood up eight COVID-19 testing hubs serving nearly 60 HBCUs and hired more than 600 of their graduates to date across Thermo Fisher.

We are also proud to sponsor the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC), the nation’s premier middle school STEM competition hosted by Society for Science. The Thermo Fisher JIC reaches 65,000 students annually through nearly 300 affiliated science and engineering fairs that take place in the spring—including the PRSEF I was privileged to attend. The top 10 percent of students from each affiliated fair are eligible to apply for the Thermo Fisher JIC in the fall. We are working to engage and inspire as many students as possible through the affiliated fairs, so that the Thermo Fisher JIC (and our future STEM workforce) more fully reflect our diverse society.

Additionally, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we are advancing STEM equity through high-quality learning experiences, targeted professional development for Club staff, and integrated support for local Clubs nationwide.

One of our superpowers as a company is our colleagues. Our 125,000 colleagues around the globe also personally get involved. They are passionate about our Mission—to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer—and actively contribute to their local communities. Be sure to check out our Corporate Social Responsibility report for further details on how we support our communities.

As summertime fun heats up, you can spark students’ passion for STEM with our fun and easy experiments, available on our website. You’ll find instructional worksheets and videos. Get ready for some sticky messes—kids love the chemistry of slime!?