On January 13, 2017, Talmesha Richards Ph.D., chief academic and diversity officer at STEMconnectorÒ and Science Cheerleader, addressed students and teachers at Witter Elementary.
Dr. Richards shared her personal story with students and teachers to challenge stereotypes and encourage youth to pursue STEM careers. She shared insights on motivating kids by pairing gaming with education, and using TiViTz, the popular math game to spark kids interest in STEM.
“Games open up a world where STEM is not perceived as hard but rather as fun,” said Dr. Richards. “In 2017, tablet and computer based games will continue to strengthen their presence in the classroom. Kids learn in so many different ways and non-traditional options like games will appeal to a whole new set of future STEM professionals.”
“STEMconnectorÒ is proud to work with our member TiViTz because it is such a strong example of how blending gaming with math and strategy can produce measurable results for kids,” said Dr. Richards. “In fact, recent reports have shown that students who play TiViTz can improve their math scores by as much as 30 percentile points.”
Dr. Richards joined TiViTz creator Steve Scully at Witter Elementary as part of the new TiViTz Microsoft Office 365 Challenge. Classrooms at Witter Elementary and across Hillsborough County are playing TiViTz through O365 to win prizes. Learn more at https://www.tivitz.com/Hillsborough.
Dr. Richards earned her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular medicine from the John Hopkins School of Medicine. As an NFL Cheerleader for eight years, Richards is also a member of Science Cheerleaders, a group of professional cheerleaders in STEM careers working to inspire young people to connect with science and consider STEM careers. As an executive at STEMconnectorÒ, she manages a portfolio of projects including the STEM Higher Education Council and the global strategy for Million Women Mentors. http://stemconnector.org/