Chamber features Urban Alliance, with the VT NCR and Thinkabit

Urban Alliance at the Urban Institute - Yemina and Jim

Virginia Tech participated in a panel discussion on Thursday, December 7 at the Urban Institute featuring the important work of Urban Alliance.  The event was called, "Disruption Proof: Young People, Tech, and the Future of Work" and featured Thinkabit Lab Director Jim Egenrieder and Yemina Riquelme, former Virginia Tech intern from Washington-Lee High School.  The panel discussion begins at 15:10.

from the Catholic Herald

Fourth-graders learn hands-on technology at Virginia Tech

Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

12/07/16

Students from St. Theresa School in Ashburn learn about the different components to make robotics Nov. 30 at the Thinkabit Lab on the campus of Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church. Elizabeth A. Elliott | Catholic Herald

If you know what arduinos, servos and breadboards are, you are as smart as the fourth-graders at St. Theresa in Ashburn. Twenty-nine students spent the day Nov. 30 at the Thinkabit Lab on the campus of Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church.

The lab, led by Tech’s Department of engineering education and school of education, is based on coursework by Qualcomm, the maker of semiconductors in San Diego. Qualcomm opened the first lab two years ago in San Francisco and it has helped more than 8,000 students and educators to bridge the gap between what is taught in schools and the STEM skills required in the workplace. The Tech lab opened in September.

“Virginia Tech was actively looking for outreach programs they could participate in and they found the Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab in San Diego,” said Barry Potter, lab manager at Tech. “There are 10 school districts in the area and we target those under-recognized populations like minorities and females in middle and elementary schools.”

First, the students were introduced to possible career choices that utilize STEM skills. They were asked to

After-hours in the Lab

Our lab operates until 8pm or later most nights, but on Friday evenings, Virginia Tech Transportation Engineering graduate student Mirla Abi Aad takes over and provides Zumba training for VT and UVA graduate students (and others).

Photos by Mirla Abi Aad

with Delegate Ken Plum on Comcast

Delegate Ken Plum hosts a weekly television program also available on his YouTube Channel at   https://goo.gl/6qz5xG .

Posptoned until October 17 (Monday)...

Originally scheduled for 8:05pm Sunday night.  Look East-Southeast (on Monday).

Some say you can identify the owner of a small business, because they're the one taking out the garbage and sweeping the floor.  Successful entrepreneurship often starts small.

Teaching GIS, and microelectronics sensors and actuators in Environmental Science

Girls in STEM

A five year old girl and her dad designed and built their own Ninja Warrior course.

Cool Arduino Projects

Updated Thinkabit Lab video

Qualcomm® Thinkabit™ Virginia Tech from Nathan Heidt on Vimeo.

Another AIM Conversation: Girls in STEM Education

Another great conversation produced by Michael Shea of AIM, this time featuring the following:
  Temi Adegboye, Computer Science at Howard University;
  Brian Moran, President and Founder of Boolean Girls;
  Brittany Greer, President and Founder of Rosie Riveters; and
  Dayana Hudson, Senior in Computer Science at George Mason University.

An Engineering Education Discussion

From Producer Michael Shea at Arlington Independent Media, featuring the following:
Dr. Yaolin Fennell (Engineering Professor at Howard University);
Ms. Susie Armstrong (Sr. VP of Engineering at Qualcomm);
Dr. Elliot Douglas, Program Director for Engineering Education at NSF; and
Ms. Saura Naderi (Qualcomm Thinkabot Instructor).

Our Thinkabit Labs

Our Qualcomm-Virginia Tech Thinkabit Labs promote STEM skills and careers to students from upper elementary grades through graduate school.

Our World of Work Lab introduces students ages 10-14 to a growing variety of STEM careers, projected job growth, salary data, and education and certification qualifications.

Our Robocrafting Lab guides students through basic electronic circuits, simple programming of Arduino microcontrollers, introduction of sensors and small motors, and then sets them loose to create robots and programs and integrated arts and crafts.

Programs for high school and undergraduate students can range from technology-focused skills to advanced career exploration, to independent learning through skills-based internships.

Teacher-training and administrator-training takes place through workshops, extended professional development, and/or graduate coursework in integrative STEM education, computer science, education leadership, and a variety of other programs.

Our unusual creative/innovation space is also available to groups looking for an uncommon meeting space and can also be integrated with professor-led workshops or seminars.