{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental","title":"Building Young STEM Readers with Jay Flores","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1655,"description":"In this episode, Dr. Erin Bailey sits down with Jay Flores — engineer, author, and upcoming American Ninja Warrior competitor — to explore the powerful intersection of literacy, STEM, and representation. Jay shares how his lifelong curiosity, nurtured by a supportive family, led him from tinkering with pots and pans as a child to becoming an engineer and now a children's book author. His bilingual picture book Engineer Someday introduces 10 types of engineering through familiar childhood play, with rhymes that work in both English and Spanish — not as a translation, but as a true bilingual experience. The conversation covers why reading is one of the best tools for sparking STEM curiosity in young children, why representation in books and media matters, and how bilingualism is a cognitive superpower worth celebrating. About Jay Flores:Jay Flores is a Global STEM Ambassador, founder of Invent The Change, and author of the bilingual STEM children’s book series, Engineer Someday! He is a two-time semifinalist on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, recently starred on Amazon Prime Video’s Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? and has hosted PBS’s innovation show Make48. Jay also starred on Telemundo's Exatlon and competed on ESPN in primetime! With additional appearances on local news channels across the country, Jay has become a leading advocate for Hispanic representation in STEM, using his platform to inspire the next generation of innovators.As one of the most influential voices in K-12 STEM education, Jay reaches millions of students each month. He serves as a Mystery Guide on Discovery Education’s Mystery Science, the most widely used K-5 science resource in the United States. Jay is also the creator and host of It's Not Magic, It's Science!, an innovative brand dedicated to providing equitable access to entertaining STEM experiences. His live science shows, which feature experiments disguised as magic tricks, continue to engage and inspire students in classrooms and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/PLM71TVYaKrIK0b-G2NoWp7Xdi0RdKxkYAKLXdYb2tA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83NjQz/ZTdmZTE2ODA3OGJh/ZmM5NDkyMmZkNjI3/OWJkMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}