Course Description

Dear students, families, educators, and church partners—welcome to the EPICC (Empowering Parents in Community Churches) STEMulation Learning Center for 2025–2026! This guide reflects our belief that every learner is brilliantly made and capable of solving real problems with curiosity, courage, and care. Rooted in faith and powered by science, EPICC STEMulation creates safe, joyful spaces where young people explore how the world works, then use that knowledge to serve their communities. Whether you’re meeting after school, on weekends, or during family nights at church, this guide is designed to help you build routines of discovery that are hands-on, welcoming, and hope-filled.

Inside, you’ll find grade-banded lessons, step-by-step project plans, supply lists, safety notes, and reflection prompts that connect STEM concepts to character, purpose, and service. Each unit includes options for differentiation, home extensions, and career spotlights so students can see themselves in the future of engineering, computing, data, health, and the skilled trades. Many activities also link to our digital resources and video mini-lessons, making it easy to blend in-person facilitation with online support. From design challenges and coding explorations to everyday science in the kitchen, garden, and neighborhood, the emphasis is learning by doing, together.

Thank you for the love and leadership you pour into students across our churches, schools, and community sites. Your partnership, with mentors, volunteers, and families—turns this guide into a movement that strengthens both minds and neighborhoods. As you teach, adapt, and celebrate growth, please share your feedback and stories so we can keep improving and expanding access. I’m grateful you’re on this journey with us—and I can’t wait to see what your young scholars imagine, build, and become.

— Dr. Whitney B. Gaskins

Founder & President, The Gaskins Foundation

Supported by:

Dr. Gaskins is the Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence, Community Engagement and Faculty Development in the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science, the only African-American female currently teaching in the faculty of the College of Engineering. Whitney earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, her Masters of Business Administration in Quantitative Analysis and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering/Engineering Education. In her role as Associate Dean, Dr. Gaskins oversees grant programs the students to provide competitive scholarship funding and professional development workshops which helps students prepare to enter the STEMM workforce.

In 2009, she founded The Gaskins Foundation, a non-profit organization, who launched the STEMulates year-round K-12 program, which is a free of charge program that introduces more students to math and science, that currently offers programming in five cities. She has been named a K12 Champion by the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA). as well as Janice A Lumpkin Educator of the Year Golden Torch Award and the Dr. Terry Kershaw Faculty Excellence Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Cincinnati. Additionally, she has been recognized by the as a Black History Maker, is a 40 under 40 award recipient, a YWCA Career Woman of Achievement and a 2022 Girls Scouts Woman of Distinction.