NEW ORLEANS — STEM NOLA will host a special edition of its monthly STEM Saturday program, “Saving Our City – Water, Levees & The Environment,” on Sept. 13 at the Cut-Off Recreation Center in Algiers. The free event, open to kids of all ages, will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The program will feature interactive, hands-on stations where participants explore how wetlands reduce flooding, how levees protect neighborhoods, and how youth can preserve natural habitats through science.
In New Orleans, water management is a fact of life. Even with the city’s extensive system of pumps, levees, and floodwalls, continued adaptation will be important. Programs like STEM Saturday give children a hands-on opportunity to see how wetlands absorb water, how levees hold back floods, and how science can help build safer communities.
Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005 inspired STEM NOLA’s founding. Former Tulane University engineering professor Dr. Calvin Mackie launched the nonprofit in the storm’s aftermath to expand access to science, technology, engineering, and math education, particularly in under-resourced communities.
“We don’t just teach science — we prepare kids to solve the problems that affect their own neighborhoods,” said Mackie, STEM NOLA’s co-founder and CEO. “Katrina took so much, but through STEM education, we’re helping the next generation reclaim their future.”
That preparation has a measurable impact. National research shows that STEM experiences during summer programs and in school not only boost confidence but also increase college readiness and graduation and are linked to long-term wage gains and greater workforce participation.
Since its founding, STEM NOLA and its national affiliate, STEM Global Action, have engaged more than 200,000 young people nationwide, including over 41,000 in 2024 alone. The organization has received national recognition for its impact, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.
STEM NOLA’s work reflects the consensus that hands-on, culturally relevant STEM experiences boost critical skills such as creativity, collaboration, and problem solving which are critical to successful lives and successful communities.
Registration is available at registration.stemnola.com.
STEM NOLA – Volunteers
STEM NOLA is also recruiting volunteers to support the event. The organization relies on college students and STEM professionals to mentor participants and help make science education accessible and engaging. Full-time undergraduate students who serve as volunteers receive a $50 digital stipend.
Volunteers can sign up here: https://stemnola.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/.
Sponsors
The Sept. 13 event is supported by The Boeing Company, Entergy, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, the City of New Orleans, and the New Orleans City Council. College students and STEM professionals are also invited to volunteer as mentors; undergraduate participants receive a $50 digital stipend.
About STEM NOLA
Founded in 2013 by New Orleans native and former Tulane University engineering professor Dr. Calvin Mackie, STEM NOLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing, inspiring, and engaging the community in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With a particular focus on underserved neighborhoods, the organization designs and delivers hands-on learning opportunities, programs, and events that encourage students from kindergarten through high school to see themselves as future innovators and problem solvers.
STEM NOLA’s approach is both culturally and environmentally relevant, relying on project-based activities that connect science to the realities of daily life in New Orleans. College students pursuing STEM degrees and corporate volunteers serve as instructors and mentors, giving participants role models whose paths they can envision following.
The organization emphasizes more than subject knowledge—it builds the foundation for 21st-century skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Through its mission, STEM NOLA seeks to help young people cultivate an interest in STEM, develop the capacity to pursue it for both learning and recreation, and recognize the career opportunities the field offers.
