Johns Hopkins Pediatric Surgery Chief Dr. David Hackam on BT STEM Day

Dr. Koplon: What do you think high school students should know about STEM fields?
Dr. Hackam: In order for society to grow and advance, in order for people to reach their full potential, we need active and vibrant participation in STEM fields, and this participation starts with high school students. Imagine a world today without STEM – no iPhones, no Snapchat, no antibiotics, no electricity. These improvements only occurred because of STEM students, by people who realized that their personal participation in STEM fields could make a real difference to their fellow human beings.

Dr. Koplon: What were you hoping that the students would take away from your message during the STEM Day panel?
Dr. Hackam: Three points. First, the best way for students to make a difference in society is to live life with an eye towards serving a larger purpose, to achieve a goal of helping and serving others…and participation in STEM fields allows students to do this in a very real way, on a daily basis.

Second, all students learn differently, and all students have different educational strengths and weaknesses, but ALL students CAN enter STEM fields and be successful, and the biggest barrier to entry into STEM fields, especially for women, is self-doubt. Do not pay attention to the naysayers, do not doubt yourself – the STEM fields are amazing, and welcoming, and challenging, and can foster your growth no matter what your particular learning style or academic strengths may be.

Third – as Jews, we have an obligation, a duty, and at times a burden, to be a light unto others, and to serve society in a way that helps the most vulnerable, and allows each of the members of society to reach their full potential. By entry into the STEM fields, Jews are simply fulfilling their ancient destiny as those who aim towards a higher purpose, namely that of serving and helping the communities in which we live.

Dr. Koplon: What was your impression of Beth Tfiloh’s STEM Day program and of the students who attended your breakout sessions?
Dr. Hackam: I was blown away (well, not from an engineering or physics perspective) by the degree to which the students were captivated by the message the panel was delivering, namely that the STEM fields provide unmatched opportunities for students to reach their full potential while serving others in the process. Many of the students had not heard about the opportunities within the STEM fields, and many others thought such fields were off limits to them – either because of a lack of technical ability, or perhaps yes, even because of gender.

My impression from the breakout sessions was that the curiosity and interest on behalf of the students grew with each story I told (in my case about pediatric surgery) or with each discovery that I relayed to them (in my case from a stem cell lab). The universal reaction from the students was one of gratefulness and appreciation, and a clear acknowledgment of how impressed they were that BT devotes the time, the effort and the energy to put on STEM day.

Meet the other STEM professionals who spoke at Beth Tfiloh's recent Dr. L. Diamond High School STEM Day.