There’s more to science than white coats and labs. Fun and rewarding careers await students who pursue STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – was the message Monday when over 300 high school students visited Barton Community College Monday to participate in the 18th Annual Jack Kilby STEM Day.

This year’s theme was “Engineering.” The day featured a math bowl and more than two dozen presentations and hands-on workshops covering a variety of topics from crime scene investigation to animal behavior science.

Keynote speaker Roy Moye III, an aerospace engineer from Spirit Aerosystems in  Wichita, is also a singer who launched STEMusic LLC. (thestemusic.com) in 2019. Moore and his group “1 Tribe Collective” received a Grammy nomination for their Children’s Music Album “All One Tribe.”

“Engineers are problems solvers and they design things,” Moore said. Future engineers in the audience will need math and science skills, “but you also have to have that creative side.” He described the process of asking questions and doing research, followed by imagining, planning and creating. Then comes testing and improving – and the cycle of design starts again. “As engineers, we’re always trying to get better.”

The process works for anything someone wants to accomplish in life, he noted.

His own success while living in Wichita proves that success isn’t limited by location.

“You literally can be in the state of Kansas impacting the world with the work you do.”