Shared from the 8/16/2021 Midland Daily News eEdition

STEM STARS: NORAH LACHER

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Norah Lacher is seen performing a scientific demonstration. (Photo provided)

Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in a Midland Daily News weekly series called “STEM Stars,” which features local secondary students who are Chief Science Officers (CSOs). These students, in grades 6-12, serve as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) ambassadors and liaisons for STEM opportunities in their communities.

This week features Norah Lacher, an eighth-grader at Jefferson Middle School.

When and why did you become a Chief Science Officer?

I became a Chief Science Officer in 2019-2020, going into sixth grade. At that time, I had recently been interested in recycling and STEM because of being in the fifth-grade recycling club at Siebert. My fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Nicole Rausch, recommended me to become a Chief Science Officer and I am so glad she did.

What does it mean to you to be a CSO?

Being a CSO means that I get the opportunity to be an advocate for STEM in my school, community, and local region. I get the chance to learn from others in the process of having fun experiencing science, technology, engineering, and math!

What do you enjoy about being a CSO so far?

So far in CSO, I enjoyed getting to make my own action plan. I think this really encompasses the goals of CSO, putting student voices first and promoting the love of STEM through kids. I have also enjoyed engaging with STEM professionals, meeting new people, and getting to learn about what important careers are ahead in STEM fields.

What is your action plan?

My first year as a CSO, I was a little nervous. I toyed around with different ideas but many seemed too big for the amount of time I had. I knew I wanted to do something with elementary, so I reached out to the principal at Siebert, Mr. Paul Schroll. I worked with him to set up an activities table at the science fair, and it was a big success!

Mere weeks later, all schools shut down due to COVID-19. I had recently heard about making blogs from a fellow CSO, so I decided to give it a shot in order to still do something for my school while still being at home. Making a blog turned out to be a challenge and took up lots of time to first set it up. Although the blog website never got published that year, I was able to finish working on it in the fall of my seventh-grade year.

This year, my main action plan was focused on giving elementary students a chance to be further exposed to STEM, and my initial idea was to make STEM kits for a whole grade. But then, when COVID ruined those plans again and we went virtual for a few weeks, I realized how bored I was at home. It made me think of the kids that were home full time, so I reached out to Mrs. Amy Sabourin’s virtual class. In the end, I made 80 STEM kits and I had so much positive feedback from her and her class. It was so rewarding to really see my hard work pay off.

What first got you interested in STEM?

At 11 years old, I got involved with the recycling club and I had always loved science and problem solving! This was putting those together plus more.

Why is STEM education so important?

I think that STEM education is important because technology is changing rapidly, plus there are many challenging problems to be solved, such as climate change and food waste. Increasing interest in STEM now will hopefully cause students to pursue STEM-related careers to work on challenges like these.

What are some aspects of STEM that you feel many people aren’t aware of or don’t understand?

I think the general public believes it is  “just science,” but it is more about how these different fields fit together. Also, many don’t understand that my generation is the earth’s future because we will fill the important jobs to help sustain the earth.

What do you like doing in your free time?

In my free time, I love to stay active. My favorite sport is tennis and I have been playing since I was 3.

I also run cross country for Jefferson. Also at Jefferson, I play flute in band and jazz band, and I am active in my youth group at church.

What are your career aspirations?

I have not fully decided what I want to do for my career, but I am interested in architecture and design along with sustainability and urban planning. Even if I don’t end up doing any of this, I know for certain that I want to do something in STEM!

What person or people inspire you and in what way?

First off, I have always been inspired by my Mom and Dad. They are both in STEM fields and they always help me and push me to reach further and be my best.

I am also inspired by Mrs. Nicole Rausch, my fifth-grade teacher. She never doubted my huge aspirations. Instead of saying it was too hard, she would help me to plan out, work for the goals, and accomplish them! Mrs. Rausch also taught me to be a better leader and to have to decide what was the top priority versus what was a cherry on top.

Lastly, a fellow CSO that inspires me is CSO Sahiba Kaur. She really encouraged me and helped me when I was new to the team. She encompasses the goals of the Chief Science Officers program and is a great role model for new CSOs.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

As Chief Science Officers, we focus on improving over time. Some skills I have developed are planning and organization, speaking clearly to adults and big groups, and being able to adjust when things don’t go as planned. As CSOs, we all believe there are no bad plans, but some just need other inputs and tweaks. As we CSOs would say, don’t just HOPE it happens; MAKE it happen!

See this article in the e-Edition Here
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