"

At Open for Business Oklahoma (OFBO), our members are more than just industry leaders working to keep us safe every day; they’re also champions for the communities where they live and work. That means showing up in ways big and small to inspire the next generation through hands-on learning, exposing them to the wide variety of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career possibilities. 

 

Here in Oklahoma, the spirit of STEM is alive and well, thanks in no small part to the efforts of OFBO members who invest their time lifting up young minds. Olsson Oklahoma City Area Leader, Client Relationship Manager, and Vice President Jimmy Sparks, P.E. is one such example. Originally from Dibble, OK—with a graduating class of less than 50—Sparks understands the importance of exposing students to engineering who may not otherwise have the opportunity. 

 

“We need the next generation to pursue engineering fields,” Sparks said. “We need skilled workers, and the shortages we’re seeing now are only going to get worse unless we do something about it.”

With decades of experience in civil engineering in Oklahoma, Sparks has devoted a great deal of time to mentoring and inspiring the next generation of engineers through his involvement with the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation, Oklahoma’s first STEM education nonprofit. 

 

Through his time as president and now as past president, he’s been involved in the organization’s mission to create STEM-focused opportunities for students across the state, providing scholarships to students pursuing engineering programs in Oklahoma and hosting math and engineering programming and competitions. He’s even gone so far as to advocate for advancing STEM education to the Oklahoma House of Representatives Committee on Transportation.

 

His favorite program may be the Oklahoma Engineering Fair, Oklahoma's oldest STEM competition that has grown to include more than 1,000 participants. In its 44th year, the annual competition brings together students, teachers, professors, and the business community to give students an introduction to engineering and related principles. “These programs expose students to practical uses of engineering principals. It’s not all just crunching numbers,” said Sparks.

 

Usually held during Engineering Week in February but postponed to April this year due to weather, middle- and high-school students from across the state descend upon Science Museum Oklahoma to participate in a variety of creative competitions, including drones, bridge-building, ping-pong launchers, software engineering and even rubberband-powered vehicles.

 

As summer approaches, it’s important that students across the state don’t experience the “summer slide,” a phenomenon wherein students lose academic progress over summer break. One way to prevent learning loss is to keep kids engaged in fun curriculum over the summer. If you’re looking for something for the kiddos in your life, try OFBO’s free virtual curriculum available for parents, teachers and students to access anytime of year.

 

“We’re teaching these kids that engineering is all around us,” Sparks said. “Hands-on learning helps students understand how to use the resources at their fingertips and figure out how to get from point A to point B. Not only that, but how to do it better, faster and safer.”