The sound of learning cascaded down the halls of Carver Middle School on Monday. 

Mentored by about 50 STEM students from neighboring Booker T. Washington (BTW) High School, 654 Carver students took part in Northeast Oklahoma STEM Day, absorbing virtual instruction about engineering-based careers and building miniature electric cars from a kit. 

The Tulsa Regional Chamber partnered with national nonprofit Engineering Tomorrow to champion the event, in which roughly 3,400 students from 28 schools participated state-wide. 

Local schools joining BTW and Carver in the experience were Memorial High School, Bixby High School, Glenpool High School and Owasso High Schoo.

“It’s hands-on,” Carver Assistant Principal Joy Parnosky said. “I saw some of the joy on some of the kids’ faces, the laughter and the excitement. As I’m seeing that, I’m like, ‘wow.’ This is something that’s really important to them.

“With kids, you can’t just tell them a lot about something. You have to show them and let them have the experience.”

Linked by webcam to 40 Carver classrooms, NASA engineer Milton Davis, an expert in electric vehicles, started the program virtually. Carver students then collaborated with the BTW aides to construct and test their electric vehicles with the help of recyclable materials such as plastic bottles, cardboard and Popsicle sticks.

“I had so many students who wanted to come that we couldn’t let them come,” said Ramona Rogers, a computer science teacher who coordinates STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education at BTW. “I was watching one class. I had two guys in there. They are into this thing, for real into it.

“The kids are seeing how all these things can play out into their lives. They are getting excited about that.”

Davis told the students that a preponderance of vehicles in Europe will be electric in the coming years, Parnosky said.

“That’s interesting to me because that says to me there are jobs available and this is coming,” she said. “We want to attract more companies to Oklahoma. But we know what we have to do a better job of is getting students exposed to engineering.

“Although Engineering Tomorrow is typically for high-school-aged children, they worked with us to allow our middle schoolers to have the experience with it.”

Participants posed questions virtually to college students from STEM programs and later heard from a keynote speaker who shared insights into the future of electric vehicles and the importance of sustainable transportation solutions.

“I’m excited about our future civil engineers who will get their master’s (degree) in civil engineering or their doctorate in civil engineering or construction management,” Parnosky said. “I’m just excited about kids getting an opportunity to see what this is like in real time.”

Engineering Tomorrow offers interactive, virtual engineering labs at no cost to schools, teachers or students.

“Through our long-standing relationship with local manufacturer Greenheck Group, we were introduced to Tim McNiff, executive director of Engineering Tomorrow,” said Rue Ramsey, the Chamber's vice president of workforce and talent strategies. “Engineering Tomorrow provides turnkey-ready lab materials and curriculum to classrooms nationwide.”

Ramsey’s workforce and talent efforts are part of Tulsa’s Future, a Chamber-led regional economic development partnership focused on business retention and expansion, employer attraction and workforce development.

“…This hands-on STEM lab experience is to create increased interest in pursuing the advanced manufacturing career pathway into engineering,” Ramsey said. “We are excited to share this opportunity with Tulsa’s Future regional partners as we work together to prepare our region’s workforce for the future.”