Championing Science

YSA members (from left) Hoggard High School chemistry and IB biology teacher Ashton Caruthers, YSA regional director Lauren Tippett, Hoggard biology teacher Cassandra Rerko, and ambassadors Perry Thompson, Avery Killian, and Ella Carroll 

From a young age, LAUREN TIPPETT, regional director of Young Scientist Academy (YSA), wanted to be a marine biologist.  

“I grew up in Cary, North Carolina, where at the time it was an undeveloped, beautifully scenic farming town. I played outside a lot, finding toads and catching turtles,” she says. “I watched Animal Planet and spouted off animal facts to my classmates.”  

Looking for bioluminescence on the south end of Wrightsville Beach during UNCW MarineQuest and scuba-diving for eighteen straight days at Seacamp in Florida sealed the deal. “My innate love of animals and creatures just kept snowballing,” she says.  

Tippett achieved her bachelor’s degree in marine biology followed by her master’s degree in environmental studies, concurrent with a master’s of public administration, all at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She joined YSA after working for AmeriCorps, where she dove into environmental education and stewardship, testing water and planting trees. She also held a position as a survey technician for a roadway design company, enjoying time in the field and flying drones. Another position at UNCW gave her valuable experience as an event planner.  

Seeking a more science-based role, Tippett posted on LinkedIn, where her UNCW marine biology professor, ROB CONDON, who is YSA’s executive director and founder, saw her resume. Tippett became assistant director at YSA in February 2024 and was promoted to regional director this past May. YSA provides hands-on programs that teach elementary, middle, and high school students how to apply the scientific method and think critically about real-world solutions. 

“Dr. Rob is a very energetic person, excited about STEM and science. He is thrilled to inspire the next generation of scientists. We make a good pair,” Tippett says. “He’s the chaos. I’m the order. I bring ideas to life, getting into nitty gritty logistics.” 

YSA started small, only serving ten students per week. The organization now serves over 350 youth per week during the school year across North Carolina and the country of Moldova through the North Carolina – Moldova Partnership for Peace. Students in North Carolina collaborate with students in Moldova on research projects, creating a cross-pollination of ideas for solutions that are locally and globally significant. 

While there have been many collaborative projects, Tippett is most excited by recent water-quality projects. Students in Moldova tested local streams, rivers, and tap water and discovered heavy metals. The students took their findings to city council to appeal for clean drinking water. Here in Wilmington, students flew drones around town collecting images they programmed into a greenspace map, which they presented to county commissioners. “Action driven by students’ critical thinking and problem-solving led to increased community awareness,” Tippett says.  

Tippett has created a YSA newsletter and has started posting on social media. “While YSA had a strong logo and branding, I elevated it to a level where there is brand awareness across the community,” she says. 

One of YSA’s goals is to champion girls to become the next generation of scientists. “Less than 1 percent of high school students in New Hanover County take physics, and 80 percent are boys. We definitely need to champion girls, so they see STEM as a career option,” Tippett says. “We also hope to change students’ feelings of intense pressure to be perfect all the time with no capacity to fail. An experiment might reveal that the hypothesis is incorrect, and that’s okay. We just do it again, changing the variables. Students really latch onto this idea of working towards the right answer, not needing to have the right answer.” 

Funding for YSA’s initiatives is top of mind. Tippett is the brains behind Prom with a Purpose, a fundraiser to be held on October 25 at Azalea Station. Each ticket includes entry for one, hors d’oeuvres, one free drink, and the opportunity to win silent auction items while mingling with STEM superstars. All of the proceeds benefit YSA. 

The nonprofit recently received a grant from the New Hanover Community Endowment. YSA intends to hire several STEM interns. Development director ANNIE WHITE will continue to write grants and develop curriculum. Condon will continue to lead the global STEM ambassadors program, and Tippett will continue to lead YSA’s marketing efforts. 

“YSA is providing STEM education in a way that is meaningful and tangible,” Tippett says. “We are not simply doing experiments in schools. We are equipping teachers with skills to elevate curriculum with real scientific method and inquiry. Meeting one-on-one with teachers and students, I get to hear the timbre in their voices, the emotional upwelling. We are making real tangible impacts on lives. And it is so needed.” 

To view more of photographer Aris Harding’s work, go to arisharding.com.

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