Black History Month Spotlight Series: Samuel Ofori
The Education & Outreach (E&O) programs at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) inspire students to reach their full potential. E&O has intentionally developed strategic programming aimed at broadening participation in computing.
Samuel Ofori participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and Advanced Computing for Social Change event in 2019. Ofori earned a bachelor’s in Mathematics from Fort Valley State University in 2020, a bachelor’s in Geology/Earth Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2022 and is on track to graduate with a master’s degree in Electromagnetic Geophysics from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in May 2024. Currently, he is a geophysicist and graduate teaching assistant at Georgia Tech.
We caught up with Ofori to hear about his experiences as a Black person in STEM, his memories of TACC’s REU program, and the importance of STEM opportunities for the next generation of STEM professionals.
E&O/TACC: What inspired you to work in STEM? Was it a dearth of Black teachers in classrooms?
Samuel Ofori: Since grade school, math has been my favorite subject. Environmental Science and Geology piqued my interest with their interdisciplinary nature and use of physics technology to answer scientific questions. The field of Earth and Atmospherics Sciences is constantly evolving with the challenges of our ever-changing world, and I love it.
E&O/TACC: How did you first learn about TACC’s REU program?
Samuel Ofori: My mentor, Dr. Aditya Kar, is a long-time TACC affiliate and introduced me to REU programs so I could gain research experience at a Tier 1 research institution in preparation for a future career. As a math major, REU allowed me to apply statistical analysis to large scale data sets. I also set up computational two-phase flow simulations for microscale geological geometry from collected sandstone samples. Dr. Kar pushed me to set the bar high to achieve the maximum of my abilities and knew that TACC would provide an excellent opportunity to do so.
E&O/TACC: What are some key lessons you learned during your time in the program?
Samuel Ofori: I learned how to further develop my skills as a researcher. Every coding environment uses its own structure for variables, function parameters, and data structures. Since no program is identical, the delimiters (braces, brackets, parentheses, etc.) change positions and functions in codes with similar execution and output. The REU program provided a first-time experience in a collegiate research project and coding in MATLAB. I took initiative to learn syntax and meet with mentors when I hit roadblocks.
E&O/TACC: What advice would you give a Black teacher interested in teaching STEM?
Samuel Ofori: STEM students need practicality in their lessons. Abstract science concepts may spark curiosity in some, but many others are more interested in life goals and fulfilling their aspirations. Students should know that STEM degrees can be a lucrative pathway to achieving their objectives. Workers across a range of career fields will interact with STEM professionals on a regular basis to execute job functions.
E&O/TACC: Why should Black STEM professionals partner with Education & Outreach programs?
Samuel Ofori: Supporting TACC is an opportunity to support the “you” of the future, someone who may follow your path. Have you ever imagined yourself coding or working as a software engineer? There’s an REU student who would be happy to share their experience in software engineering. Maybe you came from a smaller institution with little research capacity and want your name published in a scientific journal. I spoke with fellow REU students who had such stories. Best of all, the experts at TACC are sincere in their mission to make cutting-edge technology available to all who are interested in learning and growing in computer science.
E&O/TACC: Thank you for your time and contributions to STEM, Mr. Ofori.
