Seeing kids “get it” is a huge thrill for educator Myra Hicks. 

Hicks, who works with students at The ATTA Library of STEM & History in Abbeville, wants young people to understand and feel comfortable using STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in everyday life.

A former chemist at Alabama Power’s Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Hicks leads students in fun and challenging hands-on activities. She delights in helping kids understand basic computer programming.

“STEM is very important,” Hicks said, “because STEM is in everything.”

The ATTA Library was created to inspire STEM learning, provide educational opportunities and present possible STEM careers to students in southeast Alabama. Before the facility was created, students in the region had to travel a minimum of two hours to get educational entertainment, said ATTA Designer and Executive Director Kate Killebrew. Now, this premier, high-tech facility supplements existing educational systems.

At The ATTA, students can attend classes, watch movies in a three-screen theater and classroom, and put their hands on interactive exhibits that help them understand concepts such as power generation, for instance. All these activities broaden students’ understanding and their horizons.

The birth of the ATTA

The ATTA’s role continues to unfold. Plans for the facility began with help from Shorterville native Susie Ezzell Atta, who decided she wanted to leave a legacy for her small hometown area.

Susie Atta enjoyed a remarkable STEM career and, upon her death at 96, provided enough money for the inspiring facility.

Students enjoy riding a bike to ‘power up’ a machine that makes frozen treats. Alabama Power provided the bike to ATTA. (The ATTA Library of STEM & History)

Students conduct experiments using math and science, which builds confidence and helps them better understand basic concepts, supplementing what they learn at school. (The ATTA Library of STEM & History)

Students use an interactive map that changes form to illustrate varying land topography. (The ATTA Library of STEM & History)

Students learn while having fun. After they built a miniature racecar, the students can watch it round the track. (The ATTA Library of STEM & History)

“My great Aunt Susie was a rebel,” Kate Killebrew said with pride.

Susie Atta (The ATTA Library of STEM and History)

Growing up during the Great Depression, Atta worked as a teacher to pay her way through the University of Montevallo and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. But she didn’t stop there.

“Despite everyone telling her she couldn’t do it, she became the first woman to get a master’s in mathematics from the University of Alabama,” Killebrew said about her great aunt, who received her degree on June 5, 1951.

She went on to work for Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where she met her husband, George Atta.

The Attas later worked as research mathematicians for the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., until they retired.

“Aunt Susie believed that someone from a small, rural town could accomplish great things, and her life’s work demonstrates that that belief is true,” Killebrew added.

Other family members are contributing to Atta’s life’s work. Lester Killebrew, her nephew, is chairman and CEO of The ATTA Library.

“Aunt Susie felt that God had really blessed her and, on her retirement, she wanted to do something that inspires all people, especially young people,” he said. “She knew one way to do this was to help them develop an interest in math and science.”

Susie Atta worked for the National Institutes of Health and for the federal government. (The ATTA Library of STEM & History)

George and Susie Atta wanted to create a legacy for residents of southeast Alabama and beyond. (The ATTA Library of STEM & History)

ATTA Inspirational Director Anita Brown said that, coming from a small town, many kids don’t think they can become anything special.

“I remember when I was growing up, you had to have a four-year degree to have a viable career,” Brown said. “That’s not the case anymore. … One of the things we hope to do is encourage young people to make a decision to get the skills to do something they enjoy doing.”

The staff want the ATTA to be an information hub from which people can pull resources while making connections with others in the community.

For Hicks, those relationships are all-important.

“That is the best feeling in education, because you know you’ve made a connection with that kid,” she said. “And they have something now they can take away with them that will impact their lives forever.”

Visit The ATTA Library of STEM and History

114 South Court Square

Abbeville, Alabama 36310

Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and special events

Phone: 334-585-0730

Learn more at www.the-atta.org.