STEM Voodoo™ Blog
Exploring the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through insightful articles and discoveries.
Additional Resources for Struggling College Students
Let’s talk about a few resources for students who may be struggling in their current classes. Having a good set of resources or a reliable source of information is important and can help tremendously when it comes to educational growth and development. Today’s topic will just highlight a few of the resources available that some individuals may or may not be aware of. Some of these resources are a little traditional while others may rely on the internet. The point is that there are a lot of resou...
Which Laptop Should I Buy For My Coding Class?
So, you may be thinking about coding. You may also be thinking where do I start, or what type of laptop should I buy for a particular class? Those were some of the thoughts that crossed my mind when I entered into the computer engineering program. Starting anything new can sometimes be a little intimidating. Just the thought of working with computers can often be intimidating. Even shopping for a computer can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience, as they are generally high priced items...
The Benefits of Community Engagement, and Participation
If there is a positive nurturing environment available and accessible, then there is value in community engagement, and participation. The design of this site was, and is, based on the inspiration and desire to help others while building a shared community. I believe that intellectual and emotional growth can be attained through collaboration and shared experiences. We aim to do this by providing a positive nurturing environment. Because of this, we have now incorporated the STEM Voodoo “Forums”...
Math is Cool, and Here's Why
Math plays a huge role in our daily lives. Often times it is overlooked because it’s presence is not always so obvious. For example, it’s just so easy for any of us to just get up in morning and flip on a light switch without thinking about the mathematic equations and circuity behind it. When running to the restroom the average person is not thinking about the detailed levels of mathematical modeling involved in their city’s drainage systems. Although we do not often recognize it's presence, ma...
Preparing for the Tech Revolution
A technological revolution is underway and it is happening in your lifetime. These are exciting times in the world of tech. Innovative ideas and concepts are currently being explored and developed which will soon change our everyday lives as we know it. Many of these innovative technologies are very much worthy of their own post, but today I will just briefly highlight three of them. I do this to get young people thinking. Hopefully this post will inspire a young person to think about their futu...
I'm Ready to Talk About the TI Graphing Calculator
Okay, I am finally ready to talk about these calculators. Pictured to the right is the TI Graphing Calculator. Specifically it is the TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator, by Texas Instruments. It has been one of TI's more popular versions over the years. If a person is taking any STEM courses in high school or beyond, then they are likely familiar with this calculator and/or some version of it. Most people will even make the argument that it is a necessity. Let me start off by saying that over the ye...
Let’s Take a Moment to Appreciate Community Colleges
Yes, let’s take a moment to appreciate community colleges. There are a wide variety of perceptions when it comes to community college. When I was in high school, students often referred to community college as the 13th grade. “It’s not real college”, is the common phrase that was uttered as students belittle the educational institution. The general perception back then was that community college was and will always be a students last choice, and there are still plenty of people that believe that...
Facing the Challenges of Covid-19 Distance Learning
There are a few topics that I considered posting about today. As a matter of fact, I have a rough list of topics that I plan to cover over the next few weeks. Distance learning is a topic that has jumped out to the front of the line recently due to our current situation with Covid-19. Today’s post may be a little shorter and more personal, but I will still provide some resource links for the topic. This post is a little personal because I am currently in my final semester of the engineering prog...
How Can Anyone Not Love Open Source
I do not think that I can sufficiently express the deep admiration and appreciation that I have for the open source community. It is undoubtedly my favorite thing about the tech industry. Without it, I would not have been able to complete certain hobby projects over the past few years, and this site would be completely different, or it may not exist at all. So, what is open source? Well if you were to look it up with a quick Google search, then you would probably get a definition that refers to ...