STEM

Many of the state’s fastest-growing industries depend on a sustainable number of engineers and professionals in the STEM field. The challenge is that Arkansas doesn’t have enough engineers.

On today's show, more engineers in Arkansas may contribute to a more robust economy. Plus, reporter Daniel Caruth speaks with an economic policy expert about an increase in child labor violations in Arkansas. We also get ready for a polar plunge, holiday markets and more.

The Tjuana Byrd Internship Program connects Arkansas businesses with Arkansas women of color who are pursuing degrees and careers in STEM fields and finance. The current cohort of interns is getting close to wrapping up their summer jobs. The internships are administered by the Arkansas Women’s Foundation. Today, we meet Nicola Hawthorne, a lifelong resident of Pine Bluff who is interning at Acxiom.

The recipients of the 2024 Tjuana Byrd Internships are at businesses this summer, like Southwest Power Pool. The internships, administered by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, are internships reserved for Arkansas women of color pursuing degrees in STEM fields, including finance fields. An alumna of the program, Takiayah Mayo, who interned at Southwest Power Pool and now works at Stone Bank, spoke with Ozarks at Large's Kyle Kellams about the program.

The Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program for Arkansas women of color in STEM and finance fields is ending for the season soon. Partnered with companies like Acxiom and Southwest Power Pool and the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, it's named after the foundation’s first Black president. This week, Ozarks at Large will feature recipients like Indu Sen of Bentonville, who earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas and will start her master’s at Oklahoma State this fall.

On today's show, the Illinois River Watershed Partnership combines bluegrass and bats for a conservation-themed event. Plus, the second summer for the University of Arkansas’ Master's program in Black sacred music is nearing the end. Plus, a non-profit radio station with a mission of community and music is ready to show off its new home.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will turn a $1.3 million dollar National Institutes of Health grant into fuel to get ninth graders interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The funding will be directed toward the Arkansas Technology and Data Science Health and Medicine program. Kevin Phelan, a professor in the College of Medicine on the UAMS Northwest campus spoke with Ozarks at Large's Kyle Kellams about the program.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will be hosting a free two-week summer camp for 10thgraders in Fayetteville that will focus on STEM and data science.

On today's show, a letter sent to leadership at the University of Arkansas says they have failed to defend their faculty. Also, an Arkansas-based film about autism receives a national release. Plus, UAMS is hosting a free hands-on summer camp.

Today's show includes a federal grant that helps prepare skilled workers for biomanufacturing jobs across the state. Also, a trip down memory lane with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History brings records of a missile silo explosion in Damascus.