Roy Moye
The Full Interview
What gets you excited about STEM enough to share?
What gets me excited about STEM is the fact that it truly can be life changing! Principles in STEM teach you how to be creative and how-to problem solve. Those are some pretty cool life skills if you ask me. I love that STEM is open ended. There is no end to what you can discover within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
One of the ways I express my excitement about STEM is through music that I created called “STEMusic”. This music is all about STEM and was created to inspire the next generation of multicultural STEM Professionals. Within the songs I highlight STEM principles while singing high notes and rapping verses. When I really get going you will catch me dancing to this music as well. One of the main reasons I created this music was to ensure kids that looked like me were being introduced to STEM. I happen to be Black, Puerto Rican, and Mexican and while growing up, I didn’t see many people that looked like me in STEM. I wanted to make sure students of color had access to a multicultural STEM professional in hopes that they realize they can succeed in STEM too! This year I also launched the STEMusic Podcast to give students access to real stories about multiple multicultural STEM Professionals.
Throughout the year, I have the pleasure of sharing STEMusic with local Elementary Schools through a partnership with Arts Partners. Students are treated to a STEMusic Concert full of singing, dancing, chanting, and even creating and solving math problems with oversized dice! I also have the pleasure of going National with STEMusic this year. I will be sharing this music at the 2020 National Society of Black Engineers Convention and the 2020 US Science and Engineering Festival! To check out a live performance of STEMusic, listen to the music, or listen to the STEMusic Podcast, please see the links below.
STEMusic Website: www.roymoye3music.com/stemusic
STEMusic Podcast: anchor.fm/stemusic
(available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast fix!)
Instagram: @thestemusic
What is some advice you would give to a young person who wants to do what you do?
What I would tell any young person who is interested in STEM is to keep exploring and learning. I recommend them to use Google and YouTube to search everything and anything in the STEM Universe. I would also encourage them to ask a lot of questions and to keep in their mind that there is no limit to what they can discover. In regards to a career in Aerospace Engineering, I would recommend them to learn as much as they can about airplanes, flight, rockets, drones, and anything that takes to the sky. I would tell them to take all the math and science classes they can take and when things get difficult in those classes, (cause sometimes it will get difficult) I would encourage them to ASK FOR HELP! Lastly, I would tell them to check out the STEMusic Podcast so they can listen to how Multiple STEM Professionals made it to where they are now.
If you don’t remember anything else from this article, please remember that The STEM Community needs YOU! Your ideas matter, your creativity matters, and Yes you are good enough! Go for your STEM Dreams!!! You have a supporter in me!
Roy, tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Roy Moye III and I was born in Kaiserslautern, Germany but did most of my growing up in Raytown, Missouri. I am an Aerospace Engineer by day and an Independent Gospel Singer by night/weekend. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering at Wichita State University. While in college, I took advantage of singing National Anthems for multiple Shocker sporting events. Currently, I work at Spirit Aerosystems as a Structural Design Engineer where I design airplane parts for the Boeing 777 aircraft family. Earlier this year the brand-new Boeing 777X had its first flight and I’m proud to say that some of the parts I designed were on that airplane. When I’m not at work I love to fill my free time with singing. I lead praise and worship at Heart of Christ Church and tour on the weekends throughout the region singing my original songs. I also like working out, running, going to sporting events, and attending concerts. Feel free to learn more about me and listen to my music at the links below.
Instagram: @royt3
YouTube: Roy Moye III
Hallelujah Slide Music Video
Your Word Is True Music Video
Website: www.roymoye3music.com
How did you get interested in STEM?
I got interested in STEM because I fell in love with airplanes. From a very young age I’ve been fascinated with airplanes and flight. I used to beg my parents to take me to the airport so I could see planes take off and land. As I began to get older I began to wonder how I could design the airplanes that I loved so much. After asking many questions, I found out that Aerospace Engineers design airplanes and get to learn about all things related to flight. I was sold and the rest is history.
What does STEM mean to you?
STEM means opportunity, fun, and the future. There are so many amazing things to discover in the world of STEM. I like to think about all of ways we can make processes easier, develop cooler toys, determine the stats of our favorite sports players, and help cure diseases by implementing STEM principles. I’m excited about the future because it will be filled with better ways to apply science and unique ways to design structures and vehicles we’ve never seen before. Sci-fi will be even more a reality! I also love the fact that so many STEM careers will be available for so many of the bright young Scientists, Engineers, and Mathematicians who are making their way into the STEM world at this very moment.
Who do you like to share great ideas with?
I like to share great ideas with my family and friends. Sometimes I share my great Ideas with my fellow engineering co-workers. I believe it’s great to share your ideas. Sharing your Ideas allows them to be voiced and will most likely help you bring those ideas to life. STEMusic was an Idea. I shared that Idea and with some hard work and dedication, that idea is now real! Another great benefit to sharing your great Ideas is the fact that they will get even better with feedback that your friends, family, and fellow students might have.
What do you think are some of the coolest technological advancements, inventions, or ideas?
Some of the coolest tech advancements are Tesla’s self-driving car, Virgin Galactic’s Space Ship Two, Artificial Intelligence in the home (a.k.a. Alexa), development of Uber Air, and the Samsung Galaxy Z folding phone.
Where can we find more of what you do?
You can find out more of what I’m currently doing by visiting my website and following me on social media!
Instagram: @royt3
Instagram: @thestemusic