“Let’s invest in Black kids who pursue STEM the way we do Black kids on the football field.”

Outstanding discussion with proud New Orleans native, highly sought-after motivational speaker, successful entrepreneur, and internationally acclaimed STEM advocate and educator Dr. Calvin Mackie!

Dr. Mackie, a former tenured Tulane Engineering professor (the FIRST Black tenured professor at the School of Engineering might I add!), founded STEM NOLA, a non-profit organization to expose, inspire and engage communities in learning about opportunities in STEM. Since 2014, STEM NOLA has engaged over 50,000+ students – mostly under-served low-income students – in hands-on STEM project-based learning.

Dr. Calvin Mackie is an award-winning mentor, inventor, author, former engineering professor, internationally renowned speaker, and successful entrepreneur. He is the founder of STEM NOLA, a non-profit organization created to expose, His message and life’s mission continues to transcend race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and time. Dr. Mackie founded STEM NOLA as a non-profit organization to expose, inspire and engage communities in learning about opportunities in STEM. Their award-winning programs provide activities, events and virtual learning to under served communities. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization specialized in hosting events and bringing STEM experiences to urban neighborhoods. Over the past eight years, STEM NOLA, which is now an affiliate of STEM Global Action, has engaged more than 70,000 students, 17,000 families and 2,150 schools across the U.S. and in five other countries.

A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Dr. Mackie graduated from high school with low test scores requiring him to take special remedial classes at Morehouse College. In 1990, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Morehouse College with a B.S. degree, as a member of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. Simultaneously, he was awarded a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he subsequently earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 1996.

Host: Brittany Sharpton