Space Doctor Christine Abernathy and Astronaut Beyonce, just chilling.
You know when you get really busy and forget to call your grandma for a while? Then you get an email from her that says, “I haven’t heard from you in 6 weeks, are you alive?” That’s what just happened with me and my blog editor. So sorry Julie, and sorry to you our dear readers who have surely been suffering in our absence!
If it’s any excuse, we’ve had a lot going on here at the world headquarters of US2020 RTP. We’ve been making trainings, planning events, and hanging out with Astronaut Beyonce. So here it is, the inside scoop on what we’ve been up to and what’s coming next:
Online Training
For the past few months, we’ve been working on our online mentor training. We’re happy to announce that it’s finished! If you’re a STEM professional and want to mentor with US2020 RTP, you can now get trained in the comfort of your own PJs in only 45 minutes! The training is interactive and includes funny videos, (easy) quizzes, and many pop culture references. Take it at your own risk.
YouTube Fame
Do you want to watch a 6th grade student talk about his dream to become a Biomedical Engineer? Do you want to watch Christine Abernathy, Space Doctor, tell you how to work with underrepresented races in STEM? Then our YouTube channel is the place for you! Check it out and make sure to leave some lovely comments (we hear that’s a thing).
US2020 RTP Happy Hour
On March 26th, we will host US2020 RTP Happy Hour at The Frontier! In addition to the usual Happy Hour festivities of free Bombshell Beer Company brews and great company, we will have STEM-themed pub trivia! There will be special prizes awarded to winners, so bring your thinking caps. Anyone and everyone is invited, including US2020 RTP mentors and partners. If you would like to find out more about STEM mentoring, this is the perfect opportunity. Happy Hour lasts from 4:30-6:30pm and trivia starts at 5:00pm. No registration is required, just show up ready to play!
RTP STEM Expo
On April 24th, US2020 RTP will host the first annual RTP STEM Expo at The Frontier. The Expo is an interactive event that will highlight STEM careers for 1,000 middle and high school students from across North Carolina. The event will include citizen science, interactive STEM demos, food trucks, and company tours. Most importantly, there will be dinosaurs (or at least dinosaur teeth and fossilized eggshells). The RTP STEM Expo is a new, signature event of the NC Science Festival.
Well that’s all folks! If you would like to get involved with US2020 RTP, don’t hesitate to contact us at our 24-hour hotline: US2020@rtp.org.