When Maurice Womack was a kid, he loved science fiction. Star Trek, Star Wars, Transformers, Voltron — pretty much anything an 80s kid could watch on Saturday morning that made him think about the world differently. This love for space ships and robots turned into imaginative play, which in turn turned into a passion for engineering. So, growing up, Maurice always knew he wanted to be an engineer. He didn’t, however, know that he’d become an educator.
Now Maurice is the co-founder of OASIS, a STEAM learning company based in Columbus, Ohio. And if that wasn’t already enough to get us excited at the PAST Foundation, just check out what OASIS stands for: Opening Access to STEAM in Informal Settings. This emphasis on play and informal education is exactly what we hope to see more of from children’s programs, and it’s interesting to hear how the increasing popularity of things like Marvel superheroes is helping kids follow the same path from play to passion that Maurice forged in his childhood.
We unbox:
How Maurice found his way into STEAM education
The importance of imaginative play
Learn, Build, Play
The OASIS programs
Their free online STEM club, Club OASIS
Funding OASIS
Learning doesn’t have to be regimented
Imagining the perfect education system
Want to figure out a possible career? Start with a moonshot idea
Why the current generation of young kiddos is likely to do some incredible innovation in STEAM fields
Resources:
FREE STEM Club: Club OASIS
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mauricewomack