Philadelphia Scientist Opens STEM Education Center

Scientist Tyraine “Grand Hank” Ragsdale is well-known in Philadelphia’s scientific community as an educator, George Washington Carver Award winner and chemist at Johnson & Johnson’s Robert Wood Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute. But his current mission is making STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education more accessible for underserved youth in Philadelphia.

Ragsdale’s new Grand Hank STEM Center opened last month, offering K-12 courses in a variety of different subjects, with plans for courses in app development, robotics and culinary science.

“When I would go around the country, I saw the need for a dedicated space for students where they could have the opportunity to learn the concepts of science, technology, engineering and mathematics at a more fundamental level,” Ragsdale says. “Part of that also came from me not seeing a lot of people who were interested in STEM. One of my missions was to change that by presenting it in a way that’s more palatable. Students can feel and see that they are a part of STEM, and that STEM is all around them.”

Ragsdale grew up in Philadelphia and credits the education he received there as what launched his scientific career, so the Grand Hank STEM Center’s Armstrong Street location was chosen so he could give back to the same community that aided him in his youth.

Currently, there are plans for the center to hold a grand opening event and fundraiser Aug. 16. (The center’s staff are currently raising money for its HVAC system.)

“The goal is to have students see themselves as future STEM professionals, and to give them access to resources that can foster their interest in STEM if that’s what they’re interested in,” Ragsdale adds. “The ultimate goal is to create more scientifically literate citizens.”