QEM HBCU-UP Student Professional Development Workshop

New Orleans, LA

June 6-7, 2008

 

 

Panel- Employee/Graduate Student Profile: What are the Expectations?

 

Panel Member: Caesar Jackson, National Science Foundation

 

 

In thinking on the qualifications, experiences, and skill sets that a STEM student should possess to enter the STEM workforce of the future, in particular a career in academe--

 

I am reminded of the movie, Glory, with Mathew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Cary Elwes.

 

á       Colonel Robert Shaw (played by Mathew Broderick)

á       The 54th Massachusetts Regiment

á       All Black troops

á       Readied for an assault on Fort Wagner: sitting in the northern middle of a sandy South Carolina peninsular, Morris island. The fort was heavily fortified. It could absorb artillery fire without much damage because of the sand-covered hill shielding its further strengthened foundation. It was surrounded by a grenade-laced moat and it was heavily gunned.

á       A Gallant Rush: Led by Colonel Shaw, 600 black soldiers rushed the fort. They fought and they fought. They were soldiers! They were men!

á       The assault failed; 256 of the 54th fell.

á       These men and this event disproved the popular belief that Negroes were an inferior race, lacking the courage and intelligence of combat-ready soldiers.

 

I am not suggesting that preparing your students to enter the STEM workforce in the academe is akin to readying them for a futile assault on Fort WagnerÉ butÉ

 

 

There was one scene in the movie that I want to bring to your attention. It was during the preparation and training stage for these just freed slaves to become soldiers. Whereas I donŐt recall all of the exact details, an incident went something like this:

 

A white officer under Colonel Shaw was responsible for training the Negro soldiers in riflery. This officer learned that a young black who came from SC had amazing shooting ability. The boy could shoot the eye out of a hawk flying high up in the sky.

 

The white officer (played by Cary Elwes) put this boy out front and modeled him to the other black soldiers in a spectacle that went on with the young soldier displaying his sharp shooting skill. His shooting was awesome, as he took time to line up, shoot, and hit amazingly small targets at amazingly large distances away.

 

Colonel Shaw came by and seeing this spectacle, approached the black soldier as he crouched in shooting position, and placed a revolver at the black solders head. The gun was not loaded. Colonel Shaw said soldier you must load your musket and shoot and reload your musket and shoot again faster than three seconds than that I will take to shoot at you and three seconds for me to shoot at you again and again.

 

The sharp shooting soldier kneeling feverishly rushed and tried to load and shoot but could not get one shot off before Colonel Shaw clicked the trigger of his revolver and at the soldierŐs head and clicked it again and again in three second intervals.  The poor sharp shooting soldier just fell apart and may have soiled his pants in the process as he heard click, after click, and click at his head.

 

Colonel Shaw turned to his white training officer and said: Teach them right!Ó

 

 

So my comments:

You know the students you have.

You know what they will face in the STEM academe world.

Teach them right!

 

I encourage you:

Teach them solid scientific skills in the laboratoryÉ sure.

Teach the how to work in groups on research teamsÉ sure.

Teach them excellent scientific research skillsÉ absolutely.

Teach them how to speak and present well orallyÉ yes indeedily

Teach them how to write and publish in scholarly journalsÉ most definitely

 

But also:

Teach them project management.

Teach them budget management.

Teach them conflict management.

Teach them service.

Teach them leadership.

Teach them professionalism.

Teach them entrepreneurship.

Teach them and Teach Them Right!