Thinkers and Makers

Florida Atlantic University is beginning an educational video series designed to engage middle and high school students in computer science and engineering. They feature talented local students demonstrating basic principles of electronics, as well as showing off some of their own personal projects.

The series, titled “Thinkers and Makers,” gives bright Palm Beach and Broward county students a platform where they can shine and inspire others. “We created this series to ignite the imaginations of aspiring computing and engineering professionals, and to convey that computing and engineering pathways are available for everyone,” said Jason O. Hallstrom, Ph.D., director of FAU’s Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering (I-SENSE) and professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The graphic-intensive series uses animation to give visual context and facilitate a more complete understanding of complex concepts. The episodes are short, less than five minutes, so they’re really meant to introduce a topic more than give a thorough lesson of it. Currently, most South Florida public schools wait until 12th grade to teach principles, such as Ohm’s Law, which is the fundamental relationship that describes how electricity works.

Four of the six students appearing in the new series attend FAU High School. One of those students is Devin Willis, who was one of the top 10 finalists in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and a guest on the “Tonight Show” to talk about his project. Another student, Julianna Wandell, 16, has two bachelor’s degrees and is starting on her master’s. All of these students are passionate about science, learning, inventing and helping others.

There is a national need for materials related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that can reach and inspire young audiences. "Science and Engineering Indicators," a publication of federal data on the state of U.S. science and engineering in a global context, shows a worldwide trend toward more knowledge-intensive economies, meaning a greater reliance on intellectual capabilities than on physical inputs or natural resources. Global collaboration and competition in these fields is increasing between businesses and nations. Bringing inventions or ideas to market has driven progress in everything from medicine to food, communication, national defense and social interaction.

According to the national Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, which addresses science-related concerns and requests, progress “is due to investments the nation has made in research and development at universities, corporations and national laboratories.” And, a majority of future jobs will require advanced abilities beyond just a basic understanding of math and science.

Critical thinking, math, coding and an understanding of electronics principles will be a baseline, yet mathematics and science scores among U.S. students are, on average, lagging behind other developing countries. Hallstrom said part of his inspiration to launch the Thinkers and Makers program was a quote from Bill Gates in the U.S. News and World Report: “When I compare our high schools to what I see when I’m traveling abroad, I am terrified for our workforce of tomorrow.”

“It’s hard to see the problem locally because we have a hidden gem in FAU High and Henderson schools in our backyard," Hallstrom said. "But those levels of computing and engineering excellence at the middle and high school levels are incredibly rare throughout the country.”

These first five episodes were funded by I-SENSE and the Division of Research. External funding will be sought to continue the series and expand content on the website. “Working on a relatively small internal budget, FAU’s (division of) research communications team produced a series we’re all extremely proud of. Imagine what this will become when we secure external support,” he said. “This was a labor of love for a big group, including our high school students (the stars of the show), our undergraduate researchers, the I-SENSE engineering team, creative services and the office of research communications. It took nearly one year to complete – and we couldn’t be more excited to see these videos make their way into the communities FAU serves.”

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