Meet Bison STEM Scholar Christopher Flowers

Updated, January 23, 2020: The Bison STEM Scholar Program has been renamed the Karsh STEM Scholar Program (KSSP). The KSSP is funded by a generous donation from Martha and Bruce Karsh. Read more. . . .

Born and raised in Columbia, Maryland, Computer Science Sophomore Christopher Flowers always loved math and science. Both of his parents being English and math teachers, they may have helped instill in him the love for STEM. However, he also entertained a passion for music from an early age.

Flowers began formal guitar lessons as an elementary school student in the fifth grade. He continued the formal guitar lessons through his high school sophomore year, after which he has maintained practice and plays the instrument as a hobby.

During his years at Long Reach High School, Flowers pursued his passion for music academically. He wanted to major in music performance or production, which led to his taking a music technology class, followed by an introductory java programming class. The technology and programming classes ignited that fervor for computer science!

With an excellent track record as a student, Flowers was invited to apply to the Bison STEM Scholars Program (BSSP) after applying to the computer science program at the Howard University College of Engineering and Architecture. There were more opportunities available for Flowers at Howard University through BSSP than other competing universities. From there stemmed his motivation for developing a research interest in the field.

Flowers’ interests in the computer science discipline are many: graphic design, app development, robotics, etc. His specific research interest, however, is in the “applications of data science and machine learning to smart homes”. A successful research project on smart devices in high school steered him in this direction.

Flowers also currently serves as Chief Recording Officer for T.R.U.S.T.: A Society for Men, an organization focused on creating a support system for students in STEM with brotherhood, professionalism, academic excellence, and community service serving as its pillars.

What’s next for our Bison STEM Scholar?

“The idea of entrepreneurship and being my own boss is what motivates me the most. I believe there is a lot to be said about someone who can not only start their own business but maintain it. Entrepreneurship has continued to be the driving force for many of my goals. I don’t wish to go work for an existing big tech company. I want to build the next big tech company,” says Flowers.