Sonya Pearson, vice president of Student Affairs at Mesa Community College, said the college is thrilled to have McCauley join MCC faculty presenters to “open doors” to STEAM careers and courses of study attendees may not have otherwise considered.
“We are honored to have Dr. McCauley, an internationally acclaimed speaker, visit our Red Mountain campus,” Pearson said. “She is passionate about encouraging young women, especially young Hispanic and African American women, to pursue STEAM educational and career goals. We look forward to her presentation and being inspired along with what we hope will be future MCC STEAM students.”
“I am so thrilled that the STEAM conference will be taking place in the District I represent at Mesa Community College at Red Mountain. This is going to be an amazing event that our Mesa students will benefit greatly from,” said District 5 Mesa City Councilmember David Luna.
“MCC faculty and staff from biology, chemistry, mathematics, technology, art, and meteorology/climatology will share their knowledge, experience and passion with students at the STEAM Conference,” said Jennifer Wood, MCC Math faculty and conference coordinator. “We hope the conference will motivate students to be involved in high school STEAM programs, better preparing them for future STEAM related fields of study and careers.”
Conference topics will include the dental hygiene profession, climate changes, artificial food coloring, methods of displaying data, careers in web design, mathematical concepts of girih patterns, creating an ultimate adventure, using a dichotomous key, HeatSync labs, sustainable living in the desert, the engineering design process and using theoretical data to determine fairness of a game.
Additional conference information is available on MCC’s website mesacc.edu.
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Visit the conference web page to view a PBS interview with Dr. McCauley.
Contact
Dawn Zimmer, 480-461-7892, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu
Pamela McCauley, Ph.D., C.P.E. is an ergonomics and biomechanics expert, a dynamic keynote speaker, a popular author and an award-winning professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems at the University of Central Florida, where she serves as Director of the Ergonomics Laboratory.
Dr. McCauley is currently on assignment with the U.S. Department of State in her role as a Jefferson Science Fellow. The Jefferson Science Fellowship program serves as an innovative model for engaging the American academic science and engineering communities in U.S. foreign policy. Dr. McCauley is involved in technology assessment and policy, researching the globally critical Ergonomics of Ebola, HIV and Other Infectious Diseases for Healthcare Workers.
She is the author of over 80 technical papers, book chapters, conference proceedings and the internationally best-selling ergonomics textbook --; Ergonomics: Foundational Principles, Applications, and Technologies. Many of her leadership, diversity, innovation and STEM education- related talks are draw sourced from her research-based book Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation: Inspiration and Strategies for Women as well as her personal story,; Winners Don’t Quit . . . Today They Call Me Doctor.
A February 2016 MORE Magazine feature states: “When McCauley gave birth to a daughter at 15, she was told by a public assistance/welfare counselor that she was fated to be "just another statistic." But by age 29, she had earned her Ph.D. in engineering - the first African-American woman to do so in the state of Oklahoma. Having taught aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she is now a tenured professor and biomechanics and ergonomics expert at the University of Central Florida. According to the National Science Foundation, of the 9,489 doctorates awarded in engineering in 2013, only 0.7 percent% went to African-American women - leading McCauley to joke that she did become a statistic after all.”
Mesa Community College is nationally recognized for its service-learning, civic engagement and innovative educational programs, which include university transfer, career and technical, workforce development, and lifelong learning. Host to 40,000 students annually, MCC offers more than 195 degrees and certificate programs at its two campuses and additional locations. MCC’s student body hails predominantly from the East Valley of Phoenix and includes Veteran, American Indian and International students who enrich the learning experience. Award-winning faculty are dedicated to student success providing the education and training that empowers MCC students to compete locally and globally. MCC is one of 10 colleges that comprise the Maricopa County Community College District. The District also includes the Maricopa Corporate College and two skill centers. For additional information, visit mesacc.edu.
Mesa Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) http://www.ncahlc.org, 800-621-7440.
The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.