“It was science, but it was AWESOME!”
“If I don’t make it to the NBA, I will become an engineer.”
How do you get kids excited about science as they are about, say, basketball? In its mission to launch the next generation of STEM professionals, the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME) uses all kinds of tools — from scotch tape, eggs, and the occasional rocket to professional development resources and mentoring programs. Together, TAME programs form an education-to-employment pipeline that guides students from elementary school through high school completion and on to higher education and careers in STEM.
TAME is pleased to announce that Rackspace has awarded $15,000 to help bring the TAME Trailblazer mobile STEM museum to six elementary and middle schools in San Antonio. The chosen schools are part of the ‘Magnificent 7’ neighborhood schools around the Rackspace San Antonio headquarters.
The TAME Trailblazers travel to schools and communities across Texas to bring exciting, hands-on exhibits to students. Trailblazer visits are designed to introduce students to STEM concepts and career paths, to provide interaction with local STEM professionals, and to encourage participation in STEM electives and extracurricular opportunities.
Trailblazer visits encourage the creation of local TAME Clubs, where students engage in deeper skill building and problem-solving activities, including rocketry, robotics and other engineering challenges, as they prepare for TAME STEM Competitions.
In March, TAME welcomed Rackspace as a corporate sponsor of the 31st annual State STEM Competition. The event, offered free of cost to participants, brought together 283 high-achieving students from across Texas to test their STEM skills through collaborative engineering challenges and individual timed tests. TAME Competitions celebrate achievement in math and science and encourage the development of a peer and mentor network. In addition to sponsoring the event, Rackspace employees also joined the team of 55 volunteers who helped proctor the 566 tests and judge student prototypes created by the 59 engineering challenge teams.
Join Rackspace in making a difference. Visit our Get Involved page to see how you can help make sure TAME programs stay free for all Texas students.
