How a 16-year-old uses AI and tech in STEM projects

#AUTHENTIC STEM ENGAGEMENT Leveraging authentic, learner-centric tasks continues to be a key accelerator in driving deeper engagement across STEM pathways. In my Mathematics and Physics classes, I’ve been expanding our instructional toolkit by embedding real-world, high-touch problem-solving experiences that shift students from passive consumers to active data strategists. One recent activation involved using my own face as a data model to construct and analyse a polynomial function, an approach that immediately reframed abstraction into relatable, high-equity learning. The initiative created a bridge between theory and application. Students captured a profile curve, generated coordinate points, and deployed regression techniques to model the polynomial that best fit the contour. This unlocked cross-functional synergies between mathematical reasoning, digital tools, and scientific thinking. Beyond the novelty, the task delivered strong cognitive traction: students showcased higher ownership, improved conceptual stickiness, and increased agility in navigating modelling frameworks. By operationalizing authentic tasks such as this, we strengthen the learning ecosystem, enhance student agency, and drive a culture of curiosity that aligns with future-ready competencies. The message to learners was simple but powerful, mathematics and physics are not distant constructs; they are dynamic lenses through which we interpret and redesign the world around us. This is the direction of for impactful STEM delivery, and I am committed to scaling these practices to create sustained value across the learning continuum. Credits@ #Jalaj c @ #ISD Maths Charles Gumba Founder @#STEMPulse

Think Wittsy Earns STEM.org Authenticated™ Trustmark Recognition 🇮🇳 STEM.org | Educational Research has formally evaluated and recognized Think Wittsy, an India-based educational company, for its commitment to advancing STEM learning through augmented reality #AR and interactive design. Think Wittsy’s product line��featuring AR-enabled books, games, and activities such as Code Crunchers and AR Scratch Books—integrates technology and hands-on learning to strengthen critical thinking, logic, and fine motor skills in young learners. This achievement places Think Wittsy among the Top 5% of “Best in STEM™” products worldwide, reaffirming its role in supporting educators, students, and families through innovative, research-aligned STEM experiences. Official Recognitions: • STEM.org Authenticated™ • Top 5% Best In STEM™ Learn more at thinkwittsy.com 🌐 w/ Navaneeth Rahul, Jason Yung & Brian Kelly 📋

This fall, our team at CRESE launched STEM Voyagers, a new storyline-driven afterschool program for 3rd–5th graders that invites students to learn science and engineering by following their curiosity. In our first adventure, “Mission to Exoplanet Zeta,” each session in the 10-week program follows an interactive storyline that sparks science and engineering challenges. Students use design thinking to build tools that might help humans survive on a newly discovered planet. Along the way, they engineer prototypes, test hypotheses, and record their discoveries in their Voyager Journals. The students are really into the storyline — but what stands out most is how they work together: asking questions, adjusting designs, and cheering each other on. That process of trying, failing, and figuring things out together is what authentic STEM learning looks like. The program is led by CSUSM STEM Ambassadors, undergraduates who bring their own excitement and experience into the classroom. Just as important, they serve as near-peer mentors and college-going role models, helping younger students imagine themselves in STEM. We’re piloting STEM Voyagers this fall in four Escondido Union School District sites, and we’re encouraged by the students’ enthusiasm. We’re also having a blast designing activities, recording video messages as “Mission Control,” and seeing it all come together. We’re planning to expand to more schools next year — if you’re an educator or community partner interested in bringing hands-on STEM learning to your students, I’d love to talk. #STEMEducation #K12Learning #InformalSTEM #CSUSM #CRESE #STEMVoyagers #SanDiegoEducation

A Smarter Way to Bring STEM to Life in Your International School Without Adding to Your Teachers’ Workload International schools everywhere are under pressure to deliver world-class STEM. Labs, coordinators, and curriculum boxes are ticked. But there’s one missing piece, keeping science exciting, relevant, and hands-on every single week. That’s where we at Junior Einsteins Science Club® step in. Get kids off screens and into real science, messy, hands-on, structured learning they’ll never forget. Our International School Licence Model gives your school a plug-and-play way to deliver unforgettable STEM learning, every session structured, safe, and bursting with wow-factor experiments. We bring the energy& expertise You bring the students and space. Together, we build the next generation of thinkers, doers, and innovators. Your teachers get full training and resourses Your students get unforgettable hands-on science. Your school becomes part of a global community of innovation-driven education leaders. From slime and rockets to circuits, light, gravity, robotics, anatomy, fossils and forensics, we make STEM sparkle. Discover more - Contact us ; welcome@junioreinsteinsscienceclub.com #junioreinsteins #InternationalSchools #IndependentSchools #PrivateEducation #GlobalEducation #EducationWithoutBorders #InternationalCurriculum #FutureFocusedEducation #21stCenturyLearning #LearningBeyondClassrooms #GlobalCitizenship #STEMEducation #HandsOnLearning #ScienceForKids #JuniorEinsteinsScienceClub #STEMForAll #InnovativeTeaching #CreativeLearning #STEMinSchools #ExperientialLearning #EdLeaders

GRIFE Young Scholar Seminar Series III 🤗 😁 We are delighted to invite you to the GRIFE Young Scholar Seminar Series III, titled " Can Drone Technologies and GenAI-Enhanced Simulations Transform Cross-Disciplinary STEM Learning?  ”. This presentation investigates the transformative potential of a drone-integrated STEM curriculum supported by GenAI-assisted simulations and guided inquiry-based learning. Implemented through a Design-Based Research approach, the project began with a pilot in three schools and was refined based on student responses and instructor feedback. The revised 12-hour program was then scaled to 227 secondary students across 14 Hong Kong schools. To address conceptual abstraction, safety, resource limitations, and coding fluency, we co-developed 11 interactive simulations using GenAI chatbots to translate pedagogical strategies into web-based tools. These simulations, grounded in a hybrid intelligence framework informed by the AI-TPACK model, complemented physical quadcopter experiences and enabled multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary integration under instructor guidance. 💁♂️ Comparative analysis across both phases revealed improved student outcomes in STEM knowledge, 21st century skills, and computational thinking, alongside heightened engagement and collaboration. Teachers reported enhanced instructional clarity and accessibility. Drawing from this experience, a comprehensive teaching package — recently published as Innovative STEM Curriculum: Drones and GenAI Simulations in Action – Guiding Principles and Teaching Materials — was developed and disseminated to frontline educators and researchers to further promote curriculum innovation using cutting-edge technologies. 💥 Please register from the following link for online participation! 🌻 Date and time : 1 December 2025 (Monday) 11:30am – 12:30pm Hong Kong time 🎈 Register link : https://lnkd.in/ercJFu9s 🌻 Moderator: Professor Bill Chi Ho YEUNG, Dean of Students; Associate Head (Teaching and Learning) of Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong 🌻 Speaker : Mr. Richard Chung-yiu YEUNG, PhD Candidate, The Education University of Hong Kong 🌻 Zoom : To be provided after registration

Why STEM education matters more than ever. We talk a lot about preparing students for the “future of work” — but the truth is, that future is already here. From AI to biotechnology to climate innovation, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) isn’t just another subject area — it’s the foundation of how students will engage with the world. A strong STEM curriculum doesn’t mean turning every student into an engineer. It’s about teaching them to think critically, ask better questions, and solve problems creatively — skills that apply whether they become scientists, designers, or entrepreneurs. That is why Scarsdale was one of the first schools to orient itself towards a STEM based curriculum. Research backs this up: students exposed to inquiry-based STEM programs show higher problem-solving ability, persistence, and confidence in tackling complex challenges later on. These are the skills that will help them as they move into the professional world - which will surely necessitate learning and implementing technology. At our school, we’ve seen how even small shifts — like project-based science labs or coding camps — can transform how students see themselves as learners and innovators. STEM isn’t about producing specialists. It’s about nurturing curiosity — and giving students the mindset to thrive in a world that’s changing faster than ever. #STEMEducation #FutureReady #InnovationInEducation #K12 #TeachingExcellence #LifelongLearning

Some of the biggest impacts from informal STEM programs aren't on the kids - it’s on the college students who lead them. In our Mobile Making afterschool program, local youth design, build, and explore through Maker-based STEM activities. But just as powerful is what happens for our undergraduate facilitators - they’re learning to teach, communicate, and lead. A recent AAAS ARISE blog post from collaborators Ali Hanson, Myung Shin, and Amaya De Vore at CSU Fresno captures how afterschool STEM programs can prepare future teachers while inspiring the next generation of makers and scientists. Check it out here Preparing Future Teachers for STEM: The Mobile Making Afterschool Program https://lnkd.in/giZZDiM3 #STEMEducation #InformalLearning #AfterSchoolSTEM #CRESE #CSUSM #STEMOutreach #SanDiegoEducation

🚨 We have a science education crisis hiding in plain sight. In too many elementary schools, science is not taught every day, if at all. And this gap is not a scheduling oversight; it’s a systemic inequity. For decades, we’ve underprepared our youngest learners in science and STEM, and now we’re wondering why so few pursue scientific careers or understand the science shaping our civic and digital lives. Science isn’t just another subject. It’s the foundation of environmental literacy, civic engagement, and, yes, AI literacy. Every AI algorithm, every climate model, every public health decision is rooted in the same scientific and computational thinking that should begin in kindergarten. We’ve been asking schools to integrate STEM and computer science for years, but here’s the truth: 💬 It’s not tested like math or ELA. 💬 It’s not funded like math or ELA. 💬 And that’s why we’re seeing a generation of students who consume AI tools but don’t know how to create with them. Here are 3 actions administrators can take right now to shift from performative STEM support to real systemic change: 1️⃣ Teach Science and STEM every day in elementary. Make it interdisciplinary. Reading and writing come alive through inquiry and discovery. Our STEM4Literacy program connects the “science in the science of reading.” 2️⃣ Invest in professional learning, not just curriculum. Adopting a textbook isn’t a strategy. Teachers need ongoing PD to deeply understand NGSS 3-Dimensional Learning, the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and how to make them culturally and linguistically responsive. 3️⃣ Advocate for science funding equity. I recently reviewed an LCAP with $11M for literacy, $3M for math, and $300K for science. We can’t build AI-ready or climate-literate citizens on a $300K district wide science budget. We’ll be tackling this head-on at our STEM for ALL Leadership Symposium, during our Strategic Action Planning Session on Day 2. Over 100 educators will be building roadmaps to make STEM education equitable, interdisciplinary, and #4Real. Are you coming? https://lnkd.in/gEfxaF4u Because the future isn’t just digital, it’s scientific. And it starts in the elementary classroom. 🌍💡🤖

"The Institute for Research in Schools created the Research and Innovation (R&I) Framework to help schools to integrate R&I into their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) culture and to build students’ science capital (Archer et al., 2015; Moote et al., 2021)... This community facilitated discussion promoted the sharing of resources and helped project leads to build relationships with local universities and STEM employers, as well as museums and science centres. This led to a broad range of interventions, as well as lasting relationships, to advance STEM education in the schools... This study emphasises the vital role of school leaders in communicating an evidence-based vision and facilitating collaboration to build a whole-school commitment to and understanding of STEM." Alison Rouncefield-Swales and colleagues from 'IRIS' write in Chartered College of Teaching's 'Impact' journal. autumn 2025 issue: https://lnkd.in/exspgFhZ

Think Wittsy Earns STEM.org Authenticated™ Trustmark Recognition 🇮🇳 STEM.org | Educational Research has formally evaluated and recognized Think Wittsy, an India-based educational company, for its commitment to advancing STEM learning through augmented reality hashtag #AR and interactive design. Think Wittsy’s product line—featuring AR-enabled books, games, and activities such as Code Crunchers and AR Scratch Books—integrates technology and hands-on learning to strengthen critical thinking, logic, and fine motor skills in young learners. This achievement places Think Wittsy among the Top 5% of “Best in STEM™” products worldwide, reaffirming its role in supporting educators, students, and families through innovative, research-aligned STEM experiences. Official Recognitions: • STEM.org Authenticated™ • Top 5% Best In STEM™ Learn more at thinkwittsy.com 🌐 w/ Navaneeth Rahul, Jason Yung, Brian Kelly & Andrew B. Raupp 📋