STEM Day event to highlight two Clemson projects

A STEM Day celebration the morning of May 10 at Westside High School in Anderson will showcase two Clemson University projects.

The event — a collaboration between Clemson’s Science Outreach Center, STEM SC and the South Carolina Coalition of Math and Science — will feature hands-on STEM activities, a youth panel and a graphic novel giveaway.

The event, which runs from 9 a.m. until noon, is free. Registration is required.

“Events like this are vital because they create moments of inspiration and possibility for students. By connecting young people with STEM professionals, organizations and engaging experiences, they help students see themselves in STEM careers and build excitement about what’s possible,” said Katherine Mulholland, SCCMS executive director.

‘When Spiderwebs Unite’

One of the Clemson projects that will be featured is “When Spiderwebs Unite,” a graphic novel that tells the true story of the Tillery community, an impoverished and predominantly Black community in eastern North Carolina that fought to protect communities from the harmful pollution caused by industrial hog farms. 

The Science Outreach Center received a nearly $2 million grant titled “My STEM My Story” to work with Tillery community members to develop the graphic novel, which is expected to be unveiled at the STEM Day event.

The graphic novel, which is being published by the Clemson University Press, is the basis for an afterschool STEM club that empowers youth to identify problems in their own communities, conduct scientific investigations, and create and implement action plans to address those issues.

Gary Grant, who was one of the leaders in Tillery’s fight, and Grant’s nephew, who was among the youth who participated in Tillery’s protests, will attend the May 10 event. They’ll be interviewed during a youth panel organized by the Urban League.

“This is really an opportunity to broadcast Tillery’s story and how community members overcame their apprehension about partnering with scientific researchers and instead harnessed the power of science to improve their community,” said Reneé Lyons, the Clemson College of Science executive director of science outreach and principal investigator for the grant. “The title of the graphic novel, When Spiderwebs Unite, is a metaphor for when we apply our individual talents together to work for positive change in our communities, we can do so much more than if we were working alone.”

Data visualization

The other project featured is a data visualization application, DataViz, developed by JaCoya Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher in Clemson’s IDEA Lab. DataViz helps middle school students visualize scientific data.

The event will also include interactive activities for K-12 students that focus on environmental science and the lungs and the respiratory system. Those activities are presented by STEM SC, in partnership with STEM Global Action.

“When people think of STEM, they don’t often think about how the environment and how the science involved can affect their everyday lives. We hope that by teaching students with hands-on activities, they will take more of an interest in how their everyday choices impact their health and the environment around them,” said Amber Lange of the Division of Community, Engagement, Belonging and Access at Clemson, which delivers the STEM SC initiative as part of the University’s mission to enhance educational access to all students for success in science, technology, engineering and math.