Last Tuesday, October 22, AVID classes welcomed several speakers from STEM fields, including Dr. Tahllee Baynard, who came on Tuesday, October 22 to speak to several freshman classes. Dr. Baynard, a research scientist at Lockheed Martin’s center for excellence in Laser Radar, spoke to the students about strategies for success. A Cornell graduate and 2012 recipient of the Black Engineer of the Year award, Baynard’s current work focuses largely on maximizing the efficiency of several alternative energies through the implementation of laser radar.

Several AVID students commented that they enjoyed Dr. Baynard’s use of a rubik’s cube as a metaphor for arranging the pieces in one’s life to create environments conducive to success.

“[Dr. Baynard’s] use of a rubiks cube as an example of how the different pieces of one’s life contribute to success was what made the presentation really cool,” Avid student Dani Rodrigues said.

The talk emphasized the importance of both everyday and larger decisions to the outcome of one’s life, and the inescapable importance of these decisions in the pursuit of one’s goals. In his social outreach work, Baynard tries to inspire more students to pursue scientific fields.
“I think at the core of science is curiosity and exposure.” Baynard said. “It isn’t about being the smartest person. It is about being passionate and committed. Discovery is a slow process requiring the right amount of preparation and luck.”