Upon arriving at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts as a sophomore, Rose Brown began seeking for ways to get more involved in the world of science. This year, the senior from Donaldson found a special opportunity to do so.
Brown is participating in the Our Future is Science Scholar Program. Our Future Is Science is a joint program between the Aspen Institute and Coda Societies that aims to position societally-minded youth as leaders and innovators who will push science forward in the 21st century.
The Scholar Program brings together teens from across the country through a series of talks and interactions with diverse experts in science, social justice and career development. The goal is to introduce the Scholars to new perspectives and ideas about STEAM disciplines and their interactions with social justice.
Scholars participate in monthly talks led by scientists and experts working to combat social injustice through science, study curated readings about science and social justice and have access to the Our Future is Science Social Justice Library.
Brown learned about the program from an information sheet that Our Future is Science had shared with Dr. Brian Monson, associate dean for STEM and a physics instructor. “I knew it would be a great opportunity to implement STEAM and social justice into my community,” she said. “I was so excited when I was accepted into OFIS. It made me so happy to know that I would be given an opportunity to help the area I live in through the subjects I am most passionate about.”
Social justice at its basic core is ensuring members of a society have the same access to the distribution of opportunities, privileges and resources within that society. Often some of society’s most pressing issues have scientific solutions. The Scholar Program works to connect STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) and social justice to make impactful breakthroughs for the world in the future, according to its website.
Brown uses a construction metaphor to describe how STEAM and social justice may work together.
“I like to think of the connection between social justice and STEAM as the connection between the blueprint of a house and the wood, nails and glue,” Brown said. “Social justice is the blueprint. It is the idea that everyone is equal and has the same privileges and opportunities STEAM is the nails, or how we get to the final product.
“We can use aspects of STEAM to create an environment which is able to foster the fundamental ideas of social justice. When you combine the idea of equality with the means to do so through research and hard work, you get the society which you have been working for the whole time.”
Most recently her group has begun planning its capstone project. Each of the teams has a mentor to serve as a guide for the project and lead its meetings. Many of the meetings have been exploring how STEAM and social justice tie in together. The experience has been meaningful, Brown said.
“I love interacting with other teenagers with the same mindset as me. That is one of my favorite parts about ASMSA and has proven to also be one of my main joys in OFIS.”