Lightyear Foundation’s Post

I could NOT be more pumped for the work, design and growth Black Boys in Tech, Families Forward and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative (University of Cincinnati, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati) are investing and building as we works towards a holistic, engaging, and cross curricula-focused, long term STEM continuum and after school programs into Cincinnati’s K12 schools. I visited Withrow High School (Cincinnati Public Schools) and the project they are working on is incredible. This was the first day of their final project for the year. We will continue working on this over the last 1.5 months of school, as these students apply: 1.) Critical thinking and planning skills related to today’s real life needs for our growing tech-focused future 2.) Utilizing and implementing the Scientific method and exploration (trial and error) strategies to problem solve and deliver successfully based on the scenario they picked and the step-by-step process 3.) Building and flying of their drones, accompanied by eventual 3D printing components to accompany their drone creation objective It is pretty wonderful to be a part of this team pursuing, implementing and designing equitable, exciting, and crucial opportunities to enable real equitable access and bright futures for ALL students! #STEM #Cincinnati #UniversityofCincinnati #TechClubs #BBIT #GCSC #CurriculumDesign #Education #Equity

A New Campus Hub That Fuses Arts and Tech Education The Student Hall for Exploration and Development at New York’s Rochester Institute of Technology places the arts beside the sciences at the heart of the campus. At the new gateway to the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, you won’t see any robotics or engineering feats on display. Instead, the 180,000-square-foot Student Hall for Exploration and Development offers views into two nearly transparent cubes. In one, actors rehearse a theater performance; students are practicing their moves in a dance studio in the other. Enter the $120 million building and notice that the theater, cheek-by-jowl with glass-walled maker spaces, looks into a crescent-shaped atrium. The workshops display a dizzying array of benches and machine tools umbilicaled to the ceiling by electrical cords and exhaust hoods. Garage-style doors open up and out of the way, inviting anyone passing by to check out the projects being invented and iterated within. The SHED, which opened recently at RIT’s campus in suburban Rochester, New York, is just the latest example of a higher-ed design trend: facilities that seek to foster creativity, collaboration and idea generation via an unusually intimate intermingling of arts exploration and hands-on science. Even as college students crowd into business courses and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields as schools scale back their humanities offerings, RIT is among several institutions that are using ambitious architecture to juxtapose if not merge the artistic and the technical as a means of delivering a more well-rounded education. Though many college students choose business or STEM fields as a road to well-paid careers, the companies hiring them often deplore the lack of creativity and critical thinking skills of graduates who may have mastered rote tasks but little else. “The arts provide different ways of using information and knowing yourself,” said RIT’s president, David Munson. “What makes our university almost unique is its strength in these areas as well as in programs that sit at the intersection of technology and design.” Some skeptics have pushed back on the approach: Gary S. May, the chancellor of the University of California, Davis, wrote in Inside Higher Ed that, while arts education is useful, essential STEM skills are put at risk by “the generic idea of a well-rounded education, which dilutes the essential need and focus for STEM.” Some business interests and politicians — famously Florida Governor Ron deSantis — see the humanities as another manifestation of progressive politics. North Carolina last year announced it will only fund endowed professor positions in science, math and tech fields. But RIT’s Munson defends the notion that there’s value in making space for both art and science education.

To learn more about CAE USA in binghamton check out the link below ⬇ https://lnkd.in/gwqnwDNB #STEM #caerecruiting #studentsuccess #newyork

As far as I can remember, I had a compelling interest in electricity, mechanical devices, and electronics. As child, I would try to use scrap parts to make things, sometimes my efforts actually worked. As I keep trying, not always successfully, and got older, I could make more complicated things including electronics. I didn't always do it alone; I had a few informal mentors along the way. My dad would help with the mechanics, but not with electronics, so that I had to work out myself until ran into some more difficult issues. With my 1974 25W power amplifier kit, I was over my head (13-14yrs old) and needed help debugging my bad soldering job. A neighbor that my grandfather knew assigned one of his electronic tech students to help me fix this amplifier. It is still working. In high school, I finally had formal training in electronics where I learned Ohm's law, transistor amplifiers (I needed this earlier), and how to fix CRT TV's (watch out for the flyback transformer). So, declaring my college major was not a problem for me. So why am telling you this? School will be starting soon, and I encourage you to consider mentoring or coaching a FLL Legos team, FLL robotics team, VEX robotics, Science Fair mentor or a judge, and/or any other STEM related activities at your local schools. It will be challenging, but a lot of fun for you too (except for an occasional surly know-it-all teenager). I am sure that you have similar stories and realize the importance of cultivating the next generation of engineers. Would I have become an engineer without these people and others who helped me along the way? Maybe. Did their mentoring ignite my younger self’s interests and enthusiasm for engineering, absolutely! 

For Q3 my Intro to Engineering Design students were challenged with designing their own projects based on the following categories: 🎼Engineering in Music 🎬Engineering in Film 👩🏾🎨Engineering in Product Design 🏡🛣️Architecture and Civil Engineering 🪐Space Exploration and Airplaces 🚙🔌Electric Vehicles 🤖Robotics and coding Some of their projects include medical prosthetic devices, an assistive robot, a 100% environmentally sustainable earth ship, a sound lab, Extended Playlists (EPs), a suspension bridge, two short films, two podcasts, collections of jewelry, wearable technology, efficient and stylish “fits” for engineers, and an electric vehicle. Each project requires a marketing plan, which includes a myriad of resources based on the design of their project. All student-driven and real-world applicable. Watching the high level of engagement in my classroom has been encouraging. Not all of my students are interested in engineering, but after understanding the wide scope of what engineering is many of my students realize engineering is in everything we do. That practical application in the real world and their connection to their own ideas and creativity has sparked interest in every single student and that is promising. Here’s one prototype — you’ll watch it evolve in the coming days. Student presentations will occur on April 4th. Keep watching for more details about how you can support my classroom of burgeoning engineers. More to come! If you’re a teacher, and you have questions about how I’m using both the Project Lead the Way curriculum and culturally responsive pedagogy to encourage my students to design their own projects so they are learning and thriving. Let’s get out of the traditional educational model and encourage learning that is literally accessible to every single child. Student engagement is student empowerment and student empowerment breeds student success! #schoolmatters #educationmatters #studentengagement #studentempowerment #everystudentsucceedsact #engineeringeducation #engineering #culturallyresponsive #culturallyresponsiveteaching

Happy Engineer's Day! 🎉👷♀️👷♂️ At ibrick, we believe that every child has the potential to be an engineer. Our brick-based STEM projects are designed to nurture this potential, turning playtime into valuable engineering experience. Here's how ibrick is building the engineers of tomorrow: - Hands-on Problem Solving: Kids tackle real engineering challenges by building and optimizing their creations for various missions. - Mechanical Principles in Action: Through playing with gears and motors, complex concepts become tangible and understandable. - Iterative Design Process: Children learn to plan, build, test, and improve – mirroring real-world engineering practices. - Spatial Reasoning: Interpreting and following building instructions enhances 3D thinking skills crucial for engineering. By engaging with ibrick's projects, children aren't just playing – they're developing the foundational skills of engineering. They're learning to see the world as a set of solvable problems, limited only by their creativity and perseverance. To all engineers out there: Thank you for building our world. To the parents and educators: Thank you for nurturing our future innovators. Join the ibrick STEM adventure and start #EngineersDay #STEM #FutureEngineers #LEGOLearning #ibrick

This Saturday, I spent my day at the FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship at the University of Indianapolis. I met students who will study computer science, engineering (mechanical, electrical, industrial, etc.), hospitality and tourism, studio art, nursing, education (thank goodness...we need you!!!), and business. Because FIRST teams are simulated businesses whose final product is a competitive industrial robot, they need students and mentors from every wing of a school building. Budding entrepreneurs to write and implement business plans, future mechanical engineers, coders, electricians, machinists and others to build the robot. They need graphic designers and students interested in marketing to get their brand out in the community. Our teams need students and mentors who want to plan and execute community outreach events to inspire and impact younger generations. I saw teams give standing ovations to other teams during our awards ceremony. I saw kids from opposite ends of the state high-five and hug each other in congratulations on winning or advancing to our world championship. Everything we do in our program allows students to APPLY their classroom learning with real-world challenges. Not only technical challenges but all the other community-based problem-solving challenges mentioned. Our students are asked to describe the stewardship of their sponsor relationships. They are asked about recruiting and retention of students and mentors. They are asked how they are making their community a better place. Oh, and they build a competitive robot from scratch where they have to learn CAD, the design process, source materials for their build, prototype, and fabricate. Then, when they compete, they get to see if their application is successful. If not, go back to the drawing board. (sound familiar?) Do you want to learn more? Do you want to be inspired by these amazing young people? Come to Columbus East High School this Saturday, March 16th, to see FIRST Robotics Competition in action, and I'll pair you up with a student ambassador. You will leave wanting to know more... Interested? https://lnkd.in/eujm35WU Indy Women in Tech Indy Chamber Indiana Chamber of Commerce One Southern Indiana Chamber & Economic Development Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance Cummins Inc. Seymour High School Jennings County High School Greater Clark County Schools New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation Batesville High School Shelbyville Central Schools Indiana Technology & Innovation Association Ivy Tech Community College Indiana University Bloomington Purdue University Hanover College University of Evansville Trine University Valparaiso University Anderson University Indiana Institute of Technology Aptiv Franklin College Hillenbrand Indianapolis Business Journal State of Indiana Indiana Department of Workforce Development

⚡ Graduation Celebration from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality to the Engineers of the Future - Preparing for exams in basic branches at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Course Workshops; In Technology Workshops, from robotics to coding, artificial

SCAD’s origin story famously features a beloved yellow VW Bug, the car that first brought me to Savannah when I created SCAD more than 45 years ago. Little did I know then that automotive design would play a key role in the SCAD story for many decades.     In the 2000s, SCAD industrial design students built their first street-legal car—the EXO Spyder. In the 2010s, we launched SCADpro, where our Bees partner with industry giants like Volvo, Ford, BMW, Hyundai, and others to rethink and reimagine the driving experience from the inside out (think A.I. and flying cars). This academic year, we've amped our game even higher, inviting SCAD students to create not one but two fully functional electric vehicles (EVs)—making transportation history along the way.    At SCAD Atlanta, our Bees are building a transformative multifunction EV that can morph from sedan to pickup to camper, while the Savannah team is creating a sportster EV that delivers race-level performance. Both models will be street legal, a feat no other design school has even attempted, and both are targeted specifically at a demographic SCAD loves and knows well: Gen Z and the Alphas. These are not your parents' cars.    In fall, under the guidance of SCAD industrial design professors Owen Foster (Atlanta) and Rafael Corazza (Savannah), students began by asking questions that plunge into the heart of human-centered design, such as: How does a car help you achieve a better life? What about cars engenders so much passion? Can an EV evolve with the driver? To help our students explore their ideas and concepts, they met with pros in the automotive industry, as well as fashion, luxury marketing, and "fringe tech"—technology that extends into science fiction, e.g., controlling a car with eye tracking and hand gestures.     Many of our SCAD industrial design students are so charged up over this epic assignment that they even stuck around campus over winter break to keep moving the work ahead. Who could blame them? How often do undergraduate design students get to work with fringe tech? Students have already begun the fabrication and buildout process, including a collab with SCADpro partner Club Car, a Georgia brand developing a new EV platform of its own. Prototype assembly and testing take place this spring through a partnership with 3D Solutions, Inc., in Atlanta, owned by SCAD dad Gary Golden—father of SCAD visual effects student Sam Golden. I do love a full-circle SCAD story!    Both EVs make their debuts this spring—and if you'd like to join our creative hive, consider making your SCAD debut this fall! Plan your visit to one of our upcoming SCAD Days (April 6 in Atlanta or April 13 in Savannah), where you can meet SCAD industrial design professors and maybe even see the new EVs before they hit the streets! 

The Exciting Intersection of Motorsports and STEM Zooming into Science and Technology Motorsports isn’t just about speed and competition; it’s a high-speed demonstration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in action. Every race is a lesson in physics, from the way cars accelerate due to Newton’s second law to the importance of aerodynamics in reducing drag and increasing speed. These vehicles are marvels of modern technology, packed with sensors and systems that collect data to improve performance and ensure safety. Engineering and Math Fuel the Race Behind every fast car is an even faster mind. Engineers blend creativity with science to design cars that can endure the rigors of racing, optimizing everything from engine power to fuel efficiency. Mathematics plays a critical role too, helping teams strategize pit stops and calculate the perfect racing lines. The Future of Racing and Education Motorsports serve as a thrilling platform to explore STEM concepts, showing students the practical applications of what they learn in the classroom. The race track is a laboratory where technology, safety innovations, and the laws of physics come to life. For those fascinated by the roar of engines and the challenge of solving complex problems, motorsports offer endless inspiration to dive deeper into STEM fields. TECC FOUNDATION (STEM IN SCHOOLS)