I'd like to highlight a thought-provoking blog on the INFORMS site, "STEM Outreach in a Virtual World," by Aida Rahmattalabi, Caroline Johnston, and Phebe Vayanos. It details a virtual event that introduced high schoolers from underrepresented groups to OR and AI. Find the blog here: [Insert Link to the Diversity Blog].
The blog narrates the shift to a virtual event using Gather.town due to the pandemic, resulting in an unexpectedly wide reach and high student engagement. The success is marked by the positive feedback from participants, with all expressing heightened interest in OR/AI post-event.
In my experience, the mentorship aspect aligns well with the positive outcomes described. However, sustaining long-term interest beyond such events remains a challenge.
I'm curious to learn from others-what methods do you use to keep students/participants engaged with OR/AI over time? Let's exchange ideas to better support sustained interest in STEM.
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Shivank Chandra
UC Davis
San Francisco CA
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