Astronaut will speak at SC4 conference
An astronaut is coming to St. Clair County.
Andrew Feustel, who is a geophysicist and NASA astronaut, will be the keynote speaker at 7 p.m. Friday at St. Clair County Community College’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference in the SC4 Fine Arts Theatre.
A native of Lake Orion, Feustel attended Oakland Community College while in high school. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University and his doctorate at Queens University.
In 2000, he was selected as a mission specialist for NASA. He flew two space shuttle missions in 2009 and 2011.
“I started out at a community college in high school and eventually found myself at NASA,” Feustel said. “When I was in high school, I dreamed about becoming an astronaut.
“I believe a lot in following your dreams and having those long-term goals set in your mind.”
In addition to giving the keynote speech, Feustel also will give three more talks Saturday during the conference.
This is the second year for the conference, which was started to get people excited about careers in the science, technology, engineering and math careers.
“Right now, there is a big push for STEM education and STEM careers,” said Rob Richardson, conference coordinator and SC4 instructor of networking and anthropology. “That’s a growing job market, something that in the last few years, we haven’t been graduating enough students to fill the job needs.”
Saturday’s conference will be from 9 a.m. to noon in the Clara E. Mackenzie Building. The conference is free and people can attend one or both days.
Informational sessions Saturday include archeology, astronomy, chemistry, robotics and species and habitats. Hands-on activities also will be available.
Feustel said he thinks science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses in high school benefit students regardless of their future plans.
“It leads to successes later in life, not only in the academic setting, but even in everyday life,” he said.
Richardson said he hopes the conference will help people develop an interest or passion in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
“I hope they find something about science, technology, engineering or math that’s interesting to them and they continue to seek out and explore to develop that interest and passion,” he said.
Registration is required. For more information or to register, visit www.sc4.edu/stem.
Contact Crystal Garcia at (810) 989-6276 or cagarcia@gannett.com. Beth LeBlanc contributed to this report.
IF YOU GO
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH CONFERENCE
• When: 7 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday
• Where: St. Clair County Community College Fine Arts Theatre on Friday and Clara E. Mackenzie Building on Saturday
• Cost: Free, but registration is required.
• More information: Visit www.sc4.edu/stem for more information or to register.