The Chemical Company (TCC) recently sponsored 45 young Scientists from Project Scientist on their STEM expedition in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our Marketing Manager, Jessica Baker, volunteered during the event, working with the project members during activities and chaperoning their fossil hunt through the city.
TCC joined forces with Project Scientist, a non-profit organization working to change to the worldview of ‘who’ a scientist is and ‘what’ a scientist does. The founder of Project Scientist, Sandy Marshall, is also the Executive Director and Founder of The NASCAR Foundation. While facing years of gender stereotyping and a lack of role models, she learned of the disadvantages women experience in STEM careers. During the years that followed, Marshall developed Project Scientist to promote and reinforce young girls and women’s interests in STEM.
The Project Scientist mission follows our TCC Love Chemistry campaign focused on promoting chemistry and science to younger generations. We teamed with this non-profit to enable groups of young ladies to continue to pursue their interests in STEM.
On October 3, 2016, TCC sponsored the Project Scientist Charlotte City Expedition, which included exploration of the city and an inside look at the trading floor of a major financial services company.
City Discovery Walk
The day began and ended with a discovery walk of stones and fossils spread throughout the city. Scientists were intrigued by the incorporation of reclaimed stones featuring trace fossils that were used to construct new buildings. Also along the walk were several stops including the Ritz Carlton and the Arena Plaza, which highlighted stone ranging from 460 million to one billion years old.
Life On The Trading Floor
Mid-day, the group of young scientists arrived at the Duke Energy Building in Uptown to hear recounts from several female senior executives. These financial service representatives discussed their paths and experiences that led them to their current positions. Following presentations, each scientist received ten mock one hundred dollar bills that they used to purchase candy bar stocks. They explored the concepts of supply and demand as well as grasped the in-depth details of the strategy of ‘buying low and selling high.’
Once these concepts were studied, the group explored the building and spent a large chunk of time on the actual trading floor. This was their opportunity to experience the fast-paced, information-filled environment by walking the rows and speaking with sales as well as purchasing members.
The day concluded with time on the playground to release some final energy from the day before leaving with their parent or guardian to recap the day’s events on their way home.
The Future Of TCC’s Love Chemistry campaign
“It was an eye-opening day to see such enthusiasm from children as young as five-years-old asking women on the trading floor about their experience and day-to-day activities” reflected Jessica Baker, TCC Marketing Manager. “This group of girls re-ignited my passion for STEM. These young scientists took careful notes to recap the day to their parents and to reference details in the future. I plan to continue to volunteer for Project Scientist in any way I can; its emphasis on molding a better future for the next generation is precisely the passion that fueled our team at TCC to start our Love Chemistry campaign.”
