By Katherine M. Brown
NDG Contributing Writer
(Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up to Part 1 which can be found at: https://northdallasgazette.com/2025/01/02/stem-solution-focusing-on-the-fields-of-the-future-part-1-science-and-technology/)
The Labor Bureau of Statistics reports that careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are rising. In 2023, there were reported to be 10,712.4 STEM occupations. By 2033, it’s predicted that there will be 11,822.8 STEM occupations.
Dallas ISD is training students to pursue careers in math and engineering. Aaron Aguirre-Castillo is the Executive Director of Curriculum Design for Math at Dallas ISD. He explains the math curriculum used at Dallas ISD.
“In Pre-K 3, the primary tier 1 curriculum that we use is Frog Street. And Pre-K 4 our students have access to Pre-K On My Way,” explains Aguirre-Castillo. “Kindergarten through 5th grade, students have access to Great Minds Eureka. 6th grade through Algebra II our students receive Carnegie Learning. And then post Algebra II is like AP Precalculus, AP Calculus, et cetera.
“Those course’s curricula come from the College Board specifically. Pre-K through 8th grade students have a grade level specific math, and so for example they’ll have 5th grade math, 7th grade math, et cetera. Once we get into 8th grade, students, depending on their middle school pathway, either take 8th grade math, or they’re already positioned to take Algebra I in 8th grade.”
By the time students reach high school, Aguirre-Castillo says that the core sequence can vary depending on students’ entry points.
“Students end up taking Geometry, Algebra II and then from there, they have a series of options in terms of courses they can take based on their pathway,” says Aguirre-Castillo. “They might go to Math Models or Algebraic Reasoning. They might go to Statistics. They might go to AP Calculus depending on the school that they are enrolled in and the offerings. Some students have access to IB math courses, and so the offerings at the high school level are a little more robust.”
Aguirre-Castillo explains that different age groups use different types of math tools. Elementary uses manipulatives, such as colorful discs called counters, and unit or snap cubes. For secondary, he says that this age group uses algebra tiles, protractors, rulers, and geometric solids. As students start taking Algebra I, they begin to use calculators regularly. Students use iPads or Chromebooks, where they can use digital applications such as MATHia.
Mijo Joy is a teacher at Dallas ISD. He teaches Electronic Technology as part of the Principles of Manufacturing course.
Joy uses different tools to teach his students. These include digital multimeters, soldering kits, schematic diagrams, and circuit boards. They also include hands-on activities like troubleshooting challenges, soldering projects, and circuit-building exercises. Additionally, Joy utilizes group projects, educational videos, and simulation software.
A typical day starts with a brief discussion or demonstration, followed by hands-on activities. Students might be assembling circuits, working on group projects, or analyzing problems using their tools and knowledge. The focus is always on practical application.
“One of my favorite lessons involves teaching students to assemble and solder a Christmas tree circuit board,” writes Jo of a lesson that he particularly enjoys teaching.. “The objective is to apply soldering techniques while understanding basic circuitry. Resources include soldering irons, safety equipment, and pre-printed circuit boards. By the end, students create a functional LED-lit tree while mastering soldering skills.”
Along with technical skills, Joy says that students also develop employability skills such as project management, teamwork, and communication; all of which he intends to prepare his students for work in the STEM field.
“Students gain industry-relevant skills, such as safety practices, soldering, and the use of technical tools, making them workforce-ready,” writes Joy. “They also learn to collaborate, plan, and execute projects, key traits in STEM fields.”
“I enjoy seeing students engage with hands-on projects and develop real-world skills,” writes Joy. “Watching their confidence grow as they solve problems and complete tasks is incredibly rewarding.”
UT Dallas students are also learning about math and engineering.
Dr. Octavious Smiley teaches Probability and Statistics, along with Introduction to Data Science at UT Dallas. He has taught these two classes for almost two years. He says there is a solid curriculum for students in math at his school.
“The curriculum at UTD is going to offer a broad range of courses designed to more so prepare students for careers in industry, government, or further graduate studies,” explains Smiley. “The emphasis is going to be on foundational courses like Calculus I,II,III, computational courses like Introduction to Programming, as well as advanced proof and skill-based courses to help them deepen their understanding of the common mathematics around us and around them.”
Smiley says a typical day in his classroom will begin with a quiz if there was homework assigned. Throughout the school, students are often seen working together near whiteboards, collaborating with their peers, and helping each other as they work through the material. Occasionally, Smiley observes his students in the classroom, working together, which brings him a sense of pride. When students approach him with enthusiasm, asking, “Hey Dr. Smiley! Can I ask you a quick question?” it signals to him that they are engaged, making an effort, and genuinely interested in the subject.
Smiley explains an educational game that he likes to play with his students.
“When discussing base theorem and probability and how to work with conditional probabilities and all the implications of having different conditions, a game I like to play with my students is ‘guess which hand the marker cap is in’,” Smiley says. “I will take a marker cap, put it behind my back and I’ll ask about 5 to 10 students which hand the cap is in. I will ask them to also explain why they feel like the cap is in that hand. Some students are going to take the naive 50/50 approach and just make a random guess and explain that. While others are going to try to use personal information about me, such as me being right-handed to try to say ‘It’s probably in your right hand’ or ‘You’re a trickster so it’s probably in your left hand because you’re right-handed.’
“They seem to readily see when it’s my turn to guess that from my perspective, it is certain which hand the marker is in, but from theirs it is not. That’s a way that I can talk about how different conditions and different perspectives – because these words are going to be interchangeable that I’m going to be using with them – is going to impact the actual probabilities and related to how every type of probability question is going to be conditional in real life. Playing this game softens the impact before we actually bring in the mathematical representation of their perspective, my perspective, which then allows us to bring in base theorem a little bit later.”
Smiley notes math students have the opportunity to pursue various career paths. These include entrepreneurship, industry, government, and further graduate studies. Smiley explains that fields are generally open to students skilled in mathematics and statistics, especially those with strong communication abilities. With the technical expertise in math and statistics, students can also venture into law, as demonstrated by a Morehouse College graduate who, after being a physics major and valedictorian, went on to attend Yale Law School. Medical school is another possibility, along with many other career avenues. While the primary focus may be on industry, government, or graduate studies, opportunities are available across a wide range of fields.
Smiley offers advice to students who want to pursue a math career.
“I would say seek to understand what you are doing and not simply memorize the formulas,” says Smiley. “Because once you understand it, it’s going to naturally impact your thinking and habits in a manner to increase your recall ability years later.”
And Smiley also has an extra tidbit of information for students.
“The only mathematically possible way to give 110% of your effort is to reach out for support and as such, you must support those who reach out to you.”
Dr. Nandika D’Souzahas been teaching mechanics at UT Dallas for 30 years. She says that students take different courses for different degrees.
“We have a national accreditation board that gives us guidance on what are the components of different engineering degrees,” explains D’Souza. “It’s called ABET Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology. So, we offer degrees that meet the criteria for that. And then we do a lot of applications which are beyond that.”
UT Dallas provides resources and technology to train students, such as UT Design.
“It’s got a lot of equipment and any student can get trained on using different machining tools,” says D’Souza. “They can use computer-aided design, and they also have a program where people can provide a societal need that students will solve and teams under the EPICS program. Computer science does all the different levels of computing, and they run a bunch of hackathons, so there’s a lot of outside-the-classroom opportunities for students to do 3D printing, design, fabrication, testing.”
Students in the engineering program at UT Dallas can learn about various topics. These include project programs, material science, nanotechnology, semiconductors, computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and programming. They also include software, electric hardware, wireless communication, signal processing, biomedical imaging, tissue biocompatibility, brain health, biomedical computer science, electric materials, and systems engineering.
“We do something like a cell phone tower. Students really enjoyed figuring out how to design something aesthetically with the least amount of the long arms,” D’Souza says of her favorite engineering lesson plan. “And then they learned that there are some bars that are put purely for aesthetic reasons. They don’t actually carry any weight of the structure. To do that, we teach the principles of how a structure bears load. I think the students enjoyed using the aesthetic component, making it have a shape, and then learning design, creativity and performance – how they interact with each other.”
D’Souza explains what UT Dallas does to prepare students to work in the STEM workforce.
“Their preparation for the workforce is very high. They start out in the first year – they have an opportunity to grow in their communication skills design,” says D’Souza. “All the faculty love to have undergraduates do research with them, enjoy future research projects because UT Dallas has a very successful research program, and they engage the undergraduates in it. I think the internships at the career center are outstanding. We have a large number of companies that want to hire UT Dallas students, so there’s both the internships. There’s the work and learn options. And then finally job placement, so there’s quite a high industry engagement at UT Dallas.”
D’Souza says that engineers have a lot of job opportunities after graduating from college. These include designing, manufacturing, computing, software development, embedded sensing autonomous vehicles, and wireless networks.
D’Souza emphasizes that Dallas ISD students have the opportunity to take classes at UT Dallas. The university offers a strong system that allows DISD students to earn dual credit while still in school. These credits can later be applied toward a degree at UT Dallas. Additionally, students have the option to enroll concurrently at both the Dallas College system and UT Dallas, enabling them to pursue degrees from both institutions. D’Souza is particularly focused on promoting this pathway as a way to provide affordable educational opportunities for students to earn degrees directly from school.
For incoming college students interested in an engineering career, D’Souza would encourage them to attend summer camps and to come in prepared to explore.
“There is a script that engineering is all about mathematics, but it’s really applying mathematics. The engineering you’ll do in college, the math you’ll do in college, is very, very enjoyable because you’re always applying it to something you want to build, D’Souza says.
“I love the interaction between creativity and calculations, so being quantitative about something that can also be high functioning,” says D’Souza. “Helping people. Most people have some issue, whether it’s rehabilitation or energy management to have low electricity bills. Engineering is problem solving to help people. My job – I like it the most is the opportunity to engage with students throughout the day. It’s very positive, and it’s probably one of the few jobs that you can also concurrently push the envelope on the next technology through your research.”
Varun Poondi first started working in engineering as a college sophomore at UT Dallas. He graduated college in Spring 2024. He now works as a software engineer at State Farm.
“I develop software, I test software, and I deploy software. I interact with people from various suites at State Farm, regardless if they are a developer,” explains Poondi. “They could be a technology analyst or they could just be the business point of contact. I connect with various people at State Farm to address any business-related issues or obstacles that are needing to be resolved for our current application.”
Poondi describes the typical workday routine, beginning around 8:30 a.m. with stand-up meetings, which usually last about 30 minutes. During these sessions, team members provide updates on the work completed the previous day and outline their tasks for the day. The group also reviews any defects identified in the code or during system testing. Poondi works in a production team actively developing software for public release, specifically in the field of commercial telematics. The team is focused on building an application for that sector. After the stand-up, the team moves on to system testing, conducting end-to-end tests on various code components. Once the infrastructure is tested and any issues are identified, the system testing phase ends. The afternoon is reserved for individual work, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Working at State Farm, Poondi utilizes various technologies.
“The advantage with State Farm is that we’re really geared towards implementing the newest and latest technologies. We are a pretty old company and because of that, there’s a variety of tools that State Farm uses,” explains Poondi. Poondi feels that engineering is important for society and the world.
“I’m a computer science student and this is not just computer science in specific. You could be a chemical engineer, petroleum engineer or biomedical engineer,” says Poondi. “Engineering as a whole has contributed so much to humanity’s growth. Engineers have basically helped address various problems.
“Even if we don’t have a solution right now, the beauty of engineering and science in general is that we work towards a systematic approach in which we can get better results and more tested and true defined results through the process of the scientific process. Engineering is really helpful.
“I would personally say that a lot of the advancements that we’re seeing in this world is due to engineers, researchers taking time and effort and coming together to make this world a better place. Engineers are very important in the advancement of society, I would say.”
