KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — STEM — or science, technology, engineering and math — found Adrian Gonzalez at a young age and it would go on to become his career and passion. Now, he's trying to recreate those moments for other kids and share some of his heritage too.
Dr. Gonzalez is a scientist at the University of Tennessee and has written his own series of children's books. WBIR sat down with Gonzalez to talk about how he incorporated his Puerto Rican heritage into his first published works.
He was introduced to science when he was given a chemistry set on Christmas from his parents, a moment he's never forgotten.
"I think I did all 100 experiments in the first week. It was like a whole new world had opened up to me," said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez now describes himself as being on the last stretch of his science career before retirement and has shifted his focus to creating introductions to the field for other children. That's what started his journey to writing "Lola Derez S.T.E.M. Mysteries." It's a STEM-focused mystery book for children.
"Science, engineering and math isn't just a subject that you spend an hour on in class and then leave. My mission is to show them that it's all around us and a part of our everyday lives," said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is Puerto Rican and wove his Hispanic culture into the book.
"I knew I wanted to make her Puerto Rican because that's my upbringing, that's what I'm familiar with — that Hispanic culture and heritage," said Gonzalez.
There was another key piece of information that Gonzalez wanted to include when creating Derez.
"I also knew that I wanted to make her a girl because I'm all about girls getting involved in math and science. I have two daughters and I totally encourage them to pursue education and the importance of education," said Gonzalez.
Lola Derez is Gonzalez's first published book, and he says that it's his way of giving a small bit back to the STEM community that has given him so much.