STEAMULATER SHOWCASE 2021: POST EVENT BLOG

Written by Tamuka Chidyausiku, Ph.D aka Dr. Muk and Edited by Ashley Mupfawa from Ashley Mupfawa Services

Innovation – a key theme in one of the many successful STEAMulater Showcases dating back to the age of the dinosaur (well, maybe not that far back). The STEAMulater showcase is an event that creates a shared space between innovative youths in Zimbabwe and global change makers living in the diaspora, with the common goal of exchanging vital knowledge and cultivating leadership in the current state of STEAM from a pan-African perspective. This year we were honored by the presence of decorated plenary speakers from the Black diaspora who are making significant strides and impact within and beyond their spheres of influence, primarily in the healthcare, education and financial sectors. Innovation in these three sectors formed the basis of our dialogue for this year’s event and was perfectly visually captured below by scientific artist; Dr. Sasha Seroy.

This year we maintained our reputation as one of the very few platforms where a brilliant Zimbabwean youth can get the chance to bag a whooping USD1000 just for an idea. However, it’s not a spin-the-wheel challenge and ditch out free money scenario – there is a catch. For 2021, this handsome award was the price for a #ZimboInnovation youth contest where select participants have to present an elevator pitch resulting in a periodical online voting poll to nominate the outstanding pitch. To find out what this year’s thousandaire and what some of our speakers had to say, continue reading!

Disrupting the hurdles to career pathways in STEAM amongst minority groups

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021 marked the 5th Arts & Science conference-like event and the second one which we have held virtually thanks to the pandemic.Tech entrepreneur and Black Ink Crew tv star; Nick Bey kicked off the event highlighting the importance of technology and innovation in building recognition and investment into minority-owned businesses. Bey is a multi-business owner and the founder of a leading IT company Revant Systems as well as the co-founder of sea moss company; Bey Moss. In a fireside Tech-chat with Zimbabwean born host; Dr. Muk, American born; Bey, discussed his eye-opening experience visiting Cameroon, developing key partnerships in the technology sector and his journey building a successful IT business. One of the biggest takeaways from this exchange with Bey was the immediate need to break down the mental hurdles that impede students from the global Black community from pursuing career prospects in the STEAM sector. Bey believes that one of the biggest challenges leaders like himself are tasked with is dismantling the prejudice and the prevailing negative narratives surrounding STEAM subjects in the contemporary academic space.

Innovative Leadership within the Medical Fraternity

Following the adverse global impact of COVID-19, the pressing need for innovative leadership within the medical and healthcare environment has never been this imperative. We were proud to have a familiar face as part of our panel - Dr Brighton Chireka, a decorated international health care consultant and primary care physician, and the former chief of judges for the 2020 Topflight Arts & Science Conference (#TASC2020)’s entrepreneurial competition. Through his leadership in the health care fraternity, Dr Chireka was able to create one of the largest Facebook group on COVID-19 awareness in Zimbabwe. Naturally, he was well suited to speak to us on the topic of leadership and its dynamics in the medical arena. Most Zimbabweans operating in the health sector are professionally trained on the nature and deliverables of their trade; however, frontline workers have exposed the need for comprehensive and in-depth leadership training to navigate and adapt to the dynamic and erratic scenarios that emerge when practicing medicine. There is no one type of leadership and every situation calls for a critical level of adaptability particularly for individuals who are responsible for making decisions that affect the people’s lives.

Like any institution, the healthcare environment is not devoid of errors, however, the manner in which leaders respond to errors can be constructive or detrimental in building a sustainable environment for medical personnel and the numerous stakeholders who benefit from the system and its lifeline services. Through his website Dr. Chireka illustrates the need for a shift from scapegoating to solution-based approaches in leadership within the Zimbabwean healthcare environment and the larger global context.

Innovation in Health

It is impossible to talk about other aspects of wellbeing without mentioning health as it is the “backbone” of our overall wellbeing (pun intended). A lot has been going on in the healthcare domain lately and in this year’s STEAMulater Showcase, we learned how the chiropractic practice of spinal “adjustment” goes beyond just twisting necks and cracking backbones. Trinidad and Tobago based Chiropractors; Dr. Victoria De Sormeaux and Dr Ethan Gallagos took us through the interesting science behind the practice and gave us another reason to pay a visit to our local bone-cracker more regularly. Chiropractic adjustment is renown for aiding spinal and joint functionality, however, Dr Victoria pointed out that one of the most fundamental benefits of the practice is improving the functionality of the brain and the nervous system. It allows the unhindered flow of neurons from the brain, through the spinal high-way and to all parts and organs of the body, subsequently resulting in improved mental health, a bolstered immune system and improved cognitive wellbeing. More importantly, we discovered that this branch in physiological healthcare has experienced an innovative shift from the popular traditional method to a more mechanized way of carrying out the procedure through the use of a handheld Activator. In practice, this equipment allows the process to be much more gentle and to look less of a live EFC match, a comparatively attractive solution compared to the former. Dr. Ethan elaborated on the need for extensive educational reform in the healthcare industry. As a family doctor himself, the Sanus Spinae co-founder stressed their deliberate and informative approach that they apply before every patient session to provide for a well informed and chiro-intelligent experience.

American born; Antoine Marshall & Zimbabwean born; Paul Goredema are both on a mission to become supermen walking amongst us and along their individual pursuits they have discovered a great innovative tool towards the betterment of their mental health, self esteem and also as fuel for their competitive nature. In pursuit of peak fitness both bodybuilders have competed at multiple regional and city wide competitions. In deed Paul has even competed in the Zimbabwean nationals and won the title. This sport has become more and more popular across the world and at this showcase these speakers demonstrated why it is in fact such an attractive endeavor not just for personal trainers like Paul but also even for any other working professional like lawyer Antoine looking to go from Clark Kent to Kal-El! While exercise is generally considered to be for physical health, the innovation lies behind the revealing truth of it’s use in mental health as well as improvement of overall well-being. Both Antoine and Paul highlighted the importance of this sport in their lives particularly during the pandemic times. To learn more about them click here.

Amazing Musical Performances from artists from Zimbabwe as well as Seattle, WA & South Carolina, USA

Innovation in Education: Communication is the pillar for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Effective communication has always been complimentary in building mutual interest amongst stakeholders in the academic and occupational environment. One of our plenary speakers on Education was Darius Stanton, an adjunct professor at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland and an outspoken environmental science researcher with broad experience interacting with stakeholders from various professional backgrounds. He took us through the aspects of communication he learned while interacting with different people throughout his professional career. Within the educational context, academic institutions involve constant interactions between tutors and a plethora of students of various interpersonal characteristics, backgrounds, views and perspectives that influence the manner in which they access and take-in information. Therefore it is necessary to build connections and relationships that transcend beyond just the subject one is teaching. Darius Stanton noted that there is a need for tutors to form deeper mutual connections with their students or the people that they hope to serve, to better understand the channels in which they can convey their thought leadership or message more effectively to the benefit of the student.

Complimenting this dialogue, Robert Dantzler, an adjunct professor of interdisciplinary general education at the University of the District of Columbia took us through a frequently overlooked component within the discourse – one of self-discovery. Dantzler approaches education and teaching from a perspective of self-discovery - the view that as individuals we ought to discover and be aware of our personal biases. What is it that is in us that makes us feel the way we feel towards other people with regards to their gender, sexuality, race, religion and other aspects of individuality? While Dantzler explores these questions with his students as well as his online teachings available on his website., he also shared with the audience this self-actualization process that helps both students and teachers alike. This nuanced approach he covers in his books allows people to put across their points more effectively and considerately which promotes favorable and sustainable learning outcomes, especially within diverse classroom spaces.

Dr. Edmond Sanganyado, an associate professor of marine science at Shantou University, China added to this conversation in his plenary talk streamed from China. He highlighted some of the innovations his students both in Zimbabwe and China have managed to build over the years due to his policy of open and motivational communication. He gave the example of water which both in an excess and in moderation can either kill or save a life. This too is the approach with his teaching methods. Sanganyado also serves as the current president of the Zimbabwe Young Academy of Sciences where he promotes pan-African STEAM ideas as well as transformative educational approached for young Zimbabwean scientists.

Education and Entrepreneurship: Creating sustainable career pathways in STEAM

So now you’ve taken all the classes, applied yourself throughout your matriculation and you landed yourself in a STEAMy Ph.D, what is the way forward? Many graduate students from underrepresented and minority backgrounds struggle to access sustainable career pathways following completion of their academic tenure. One of the frontline workers in this area, Dr Chrishele Marshall is a PhD fellow and an entrepreneur who spends her time coaching Master’s and PhD level students to help map the way forward. In her view, it is imperative that Black students become more innovative when navigating their career pathways. There is a need to graduate mentally from our sour back-stories and the failures of our upbringing to mobilize available resources, activate our support systems, dream big and step out of our comfort zone in order to start up sustainable businesses where our voices and impact can thrive. The biggest takeaway from Dr Marshall’s plenary talk was that those who solve our world’s greatest problems are those individuals who are innovative thinkers. In forging your thought leadership, you must share and communicate your highs and lows, so that those who come after you can accept that perfection is not the endgame, but the ability to remain steadfast through the obstacles of the journey. The goal of creating opportunities and support structures for STEAM minority students is to allow the black voice to be at the forefront of research that involves the black communities and to retain students throughout their journey into the STEAM pipeline until they are sufficient leaders within their personal space.

Indeed the field of STEM+Arts aka STEAM has grown significantly for the last few years and our plenary speaker and @thepublichealthbae; Dr. Shenell Tolson had a lot to say about this awesome progress. Dr. Tolson’s take on the Educational innovations we’ve seen since the implementation of e-Learning globally during the pandemic highlighted the need for more faces from the underrepresented minority community to be forefront in the STEM outreach arena. She stressed incredible need for programs like the STEAMulater showcase to make STEM education resources from and for the Black diaspora widely available. It is so easy to feel like you do not belong in STEAM when you do not look like those around you but Electrical Engineer and Robotics expert; Aaron Shepard aka @spacecadetshep on Tik Tok emphasized in his talk how our differences actually benefit the field as a whole. His much needed inspirational message of “if you can believe it, you can achieve it” really motivated the audience and imparted some sage wisdom.

Innovation in Wealth: Building generational wealth amongst minorities.

The global Black community is disenfranchised in the financial sector due to a prevalent history of financial disparities rooted in slavery in the Americas, colonization in Africa and the contemporary institutional oppression and inequalities everywhere else. In the innovative spirit to find solutions we had the opportunity to hear from someone who’s mission is to aid this problem; Natalie Spradley. She is a Financial Advisor and Investment Broker for one of the largest financial firms in North America, Primerica and she took us through the landmarks to sustainable wealth creation amongst black communities both in Africa and the diaspora. The foundation for building generational wealth is rooted in sustainable long-term planning that supersedes the boundaries of individual needs to cater and plan for the needs of future generations. More importantly, there is a need for the Black community to be educated on the fundamentals of wealth creation and financial security, namely how to invest, access life insurance as well as understand the global economy and the marketplace. Accessing this information is key to equipping people with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to compete in this cosmopolitan world. As she offers one on one consulting, Natalie urged the audience to email and set up an appointment here.

Health Entrepreneurship is also a surging arena in the Black community which is why the plenary talk from CEO and Live Chair Health app co-founder; Andrew Suggs was an awesome addition to our line up. Suggs, spoke on his journey in the entrepreneurial space as one of a few Blacks in this arena who are solving problem pertinent to the community overall. Live Chair Health is innovation defined as it’s an interdisciplinary solution to pervasive problem in the Black community and beyond. Distrust in the healthcare industry has led to the decline of doctor visits overall but in particular Black men are less likely to seek medical attention or physicals. Well, Live Chair Health is a barbershop reservation app that pivoted into health care and now boasts a large clientele from both the East and West coast. Not only did Suggs’ talk outline the importance of innovation at the interface of health and wealth but he also emphasized the importance of health education echoing the Drs who spoke before him after-all, “ Health is Wealth”. .

In the same vein, women’s health has been unjustifiably undervalued in the health sector. Providing much needed innovation in this field was our plenary speaker and founder of the S.H.E international foundation; Jean Madzima. As one of a few Women Entrepreneurs, Jean shared her journey in building a sustainable platform where women’s health is made a priority. She discussed the need for comprehensive reproductive education so that the world can recognize female biology not an area of taboo or shame but instead where education is most needed. As our showcase keynote speaker; Jean’s work exemplifies Innovation in all three sectors of Health, Wealth and Education. She has now also partnered with many governmental and non-governmental organizations like @afripadsfoundation to bring girls in rural Zimbabwe reusable, sustainable and affordable hygiene products. SHE is in fact Securing Health Empowerment through sustainable innovation and we are thrilled to have gotten a chance to hear about their mission.

ZimboInnovation Pitch Highlights

This year we were happy to host Zimbabwean youths with powerful and innovative ideas to discover new solutions for old problems. We got to listen to interesting ideas from the likes of Takura Munyaradzi Ndoro who proposed an application that would help address the plight of over 60% of Zimbabwean students who struggle to access internship placement opportunities. Another interesting pitch was from Tafadzwa Chikwereti’s e-Agro solution which hopes to help smallholder farmers access credit from financial institutions through the intelligent use of machine learning and information technology. Vannessa Hodza, a Fashion Technology student proposed a truly meta idea – VR fashion for the Metaverse, where fashion designers could digitally illustrate their ideas and patents then present them through augmented reality via a virtual reality system. The couple from Zimsecond; Tafadzwa and Ketiwe pitched a board game celebrating Zimbabwe. With a passion to help families spend time together Zimsecond’s idea would help game mates learn and appreciate our culture, history, talents and more. Morelife pitched a sustainable way to keep track of agricultural output and optimize inputs. Tyron and Mqondisi both pitched their solutions towards reducing Zimbabwean unemployment while presenting their projects on construction as well as furniture design & carpentry. We are proud to acknowledge that this year’s STEAMulater showcase has brought some of the most exciting and novel ideas to the spotlight. Please take a look at their ideas here: STEAMulater.com/agenda .

Meet Your 2021 STEAMULATER

Imagine if there existed a 3-fold digital farming system that could take the role of a personal assistant, seasonal planner and agro-community platform all in one. Well, Tendai Dube brought us a step closer to this reality with his winning pitch of an automated digital farming platform that would make farming both easy and accessible by providing critical farming information like a climate forecast, planting times and yield expectations. The digital platform would also present farmers with the opportunity to network, research and build a farming database that can allow prospective farmers to make informed decisions when kick-starting their projects.  After the YouTube live comments pit him with 3 other finalists, the Twitter jury was sold and Tendai Dube’s #ZimboInnovation became our $US1000 recipient for the 2021 STEAMulater showcase award. Makorokoto, Amphlope & Congratulations Tendai!

In conclusion…

…this year’s STEAMulater showcase built on the many successes of the former events and I would like to personally thank all those whose presence promoted the success of this event. Special thank you goes to my organizing committee - collaborating with like minded folks on a project like this made it fun and such a an ease. Thank you to Kudzai Makusha, Ben Mutandadzi, Ashley Mupfawa, Mr. & Mrs. Chidyausiku, Tendai Chidyausiku, Justin Gwimbi, Mrs. Kuimba, our performers, speakers, competitors and you the audience whom without none of this would have been possible. I hope the key message taken away was that STEAMulaters have the power to turn the world’s biggest challenges into opportunities and it all lies in your hands. STEAM-you-Later!!!