- Carrying supplies on high-altitude patrol routes.
- Moving rescue gear into fire-risk zones.
- Hauling steel, cement, tools, and equipment where large vehicles can’t reach. Dax also says the system can run for 1-2 days with its high-voltage power setup.
Exploring Technical Careers and College, Programming, Engineering Design, Creative Robotics, and all Hands-On STEM Education Strategies
Virginia Tech's Innovation Campus Technical (CTE and STEM) Education and Workforce Development Programs is one of the longest-serving collaborators in the Qualcomm's highly regarded Thinkabit Lab program network, and home to Invention Virginia / Invention DC programs, and the aggregator for the Northern Virginia STEM Learning Ecosystem. The mission of our Thinkabit Lab and all of our STEM programs is to serve Washington, D.C. area students, teachers, administrators, parents, and collaborators in preparing the future technical workforce through career exploration and the hands-on electronic and programming foundations of IOT and Smart Cities, AI and robotics automation, sensors, actuators, data collection and analysis, and entrepreneurship and innovation.
In doing so, we are preparing our future STEM workforce and our increasingly diverse, technology-driven community in lifelong learning for jobs that may not yet exist. Our team will work with like-minded teams, organizations and individuals interested in promoting curiosity, innovation, creativity, and students’ self-actualization and self-determination.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Robotic Horse can carry over a ton offroad
Qiji T1000 is being positioned for heavy-load field work: security patrols, emergency rescue, construction sites, industrial logistics. The reported terrain list is where wheels struggle, including snow, ice, steep slopes, mountain paths, broken ground.
Use cases include:
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Arlington Career Center Students Share Thoughts on the New Grace Hopper Building
Reprinted from ACC Chronicle
Picturing Next Year: Questions About Our New Building
Vivien McGinn, Staff Reporter
May 5, 2026
As the Grace Hopper Center construction enters its final phase, we’re realizing that we’re not just getting a new building, we’re getting a whole new school, with new teachers, new students, and new spaces to fill. Thanks to the hard work of Whiting Turner, the construction company, architects at Stantec, the APS design team, and Grace Hopper’s administrative team, and more, the finish line is in sight, which means that new questions come up about the new space every day.
How long will our passing periods be? The building is going to be a lot bigger, so we’re going to need more time between classes, and administrators are already working on our new schedule. I’m guessing we need AT LEAST eight minutes, hopefully ten. Before anyone calls me crazy, take a walk from the front of the building to the very back and tell me how long that alone takes. I’m sure it will be at least six minutes, not including stairs, different turns, bathroom breaks, water breaks, and simply talking to friends. Sometimes I want to have a short conversation with my friend about an assignment or something that is upsetting me, but we are interrupted by adults who rush us all to class. A minute or two to destress and connect with peers is crucial for recharging throughout the day, so we hope they consider this when making the new schedule.
Will we have private washing areas in the bathrooms? When I first saw the bathroom design that includes common-use sinks, I was actually worried. What if a student needs to do their hair or brush their teeth? I know I wouldn’t want everyone to see that. Stantec intern and Arlington Tech senior Samuel Jaeckel gave us some good news: there will be private “changing rooms” for students to use. Otherwise, I hope they’ll consider placing mirrors in the stalls for quick looks.
Will elevators be open to everyone? Personally, I am fine walking up a few flights of stairs because it helps me get steps in, but what about the students who get fatigued from stairs? Will they be allowed to use the elevators? Will they be singled out? Sam predicts that students who need the elevators will be allowed access, but the process to determine who needs them is yet to be decided.
Will we have lockers, and will they be mandatory? In this building, we have lockers, but I hope they won’t be required. Whiting Turner is already installing lockers throughout the school, which is encouraging for the fall. How and when we’re going to use them, though, will all be decided by the administrative team.
What will we do with the old ACC building while the school board is deciding its use? The possibility of it being a walk-through for teachers and staff to get from the parking lot to the new building has been proposed. The empty building will only be filled on weekday mornings for twenty minutes at most. Almost all of it is staying untouched (kind of creepy to be honest). According to Sam and Mr. Mainor, the building may be the future home of the Montessori Public School Program, but the proposal has not yet been up for a school board vote.
There’s a lot to decide between now and August, and obviously, students would like a voice in the process. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the view of our beautiful new building and wonder what’s in store for us next year.
About the author:

Vivien McGinn, Staff Reporter
Vivien McGinn is a Sophomore at Arlington Tech who is excited to continue pursuing her journalistic career at ACC. Vivien enjoys a variety of hobbies such as reading, writing, painting, making jewelry, and marine biology. Vivien owns a jewelry business where she customizes and handmakes jewelry and sells it. online. She is interested in astrophysiology/marine biology and is hopeful about starting her career in that field.
Monday, April 27, 2026
Ecosystem support for Arlington Public Schools, Northern Virginia Community College, and Virginia Tech
The Virginia Department of Education STEM leaders recognized the collaboration between the Career, Technical and Adult Education Office of Arlington Public Schools, the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, and Virginia Tech's, D.C. area Technical Education and Workforce Development programs with 2026 support for efforts to promote innovate STEM opportunities for all students.
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Local Culinary students receive top honors statewide!
Arlington Career Center students competed at the Virginia ProStart Competition and brought home top honors, with first-place finishes for Alena Zabler and Ximena Puican Vela.
Friday, March 20, 2026
Community and Industry Professionals - Mark your Calendars
<p> <span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;">This is your opportunity to connect with brilliant K–12 student inventors as they showcase their prototypes and share the stories behind their invention journeys. <br /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;"><br />As a community or industry professional, you can:</span></p><div class="hrxlpLvxJUJyXIDfmEZuSJbOiiaKKzE" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" tabindex="-1"><div class="feed-shared-inline-show-more-text feed-shared-update-v2__description feed-shared-inline-show-more-text--minimal-padding feed-shared-inline-show-more-text--3-lines feed-shared-inline-show-more-text--expanded" data-artdeco-is-focused="true" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2rem; margin: 0px 1.6rem; max-height: none; max-width: 928px; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;" tabindex="-1"><div class="update-components-text relative update-components-update-v2__commentary" dir="ltr" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="break-words tvm-parent-container" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><span dir="ltr" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">🔹 Mentor students and provide meaningful, supportive feedback<span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span>🔹 Guide aspiring inventors on next steps (state competitions, patents, and beyond)<span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span>🔹 Share real-world insights into your industry’s innovation process<span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span>🔹 Bring a hands-on activity to inspire future inventors<span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span>Your involvement directly fuels creativity, confidence, and experiential learning in our community. The encouragement you give could be the spark that launches the next great innovator.<span style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span>Learn more and sign up here:<span class="white-space-pre" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9) none 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><a class="npCfLwmDwyRGUjjSegPUogjodwpBUsaGQ" data-test-app-aware-link="" href="https://lnkd.in/eavTpx8R" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(10, 102, 194); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a66c2; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: normal; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: rgb(10, 102, 194); touch-action: manipulation; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: normal;" tabindex="0" target="_self">https://lnkd.in/eavTpx8R</a></span></span></div></div></div><div class="update-components-image update-components-image--single-image feed-shared-update-v2__content" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0.8rem 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="update-components-image__container-wrapper relative" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="update-components-image__container" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-image: none; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 555px 0px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 555px;"><button class="update-components-image__image-link" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: medium; box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 555px; left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; touch-action: manipulation; width: 555px;" type="button"><span class="visually-hidden" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); display: block; font-size: 13.3333px; height: 1px; margin: -1px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0) none 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap; width: 1px;">Activate to view larger image,</span><div class="ivm-image-view-model" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 13.3333px; height: 555px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 555px;"><div class="ivm-view-attr__img-wrapper" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 13.3333px; height: 555px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 555px;"><img alt="No alternative text description for this image" class="ivm-view-attr__img--centered ivm-view-attr__img--aspect-fit update-components-image__image update-components-image__image--constrained evi-image lazy-image ember-view" height="600" id="ember1388" loading="lazy" src="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E22AQHnQ0A7Z9xPsA/feedshare-shrink_800/B4EZx4VSeRGgAg-/0/1771545373032?e=1781136000&v=beta&t=S9q1OOa_26bqChuxE-_eKY3625dxrrKGCy8oXkGS9gQ" style="background: none 50% center / contain no-repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); 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Wednesday, February 18, 2026
New SkyView High School - Proposed FCPS Academic and Career Pathways
Fairfax County Public Schools has shared potential academic and career-focused pathways as part of its comprehensive academic plans, and STEM-focused advocates will not be disappointed.
from https://www.fcps.edu/skyview :
Potential Academic and Career Pathways
The career pathways and courses below are being recommended for the new high school. While some of these courses are still in development, we are excited to offer unique pathways which will lead to high demand industry credentials and exciting postsecondary opportunities. While the course sequences are recommended for each pathway, students are welcome to move in and out of pathways, as appropriate, based on their interests.
*Please note that pathway and course information is subject to change.
Click "Read more" below to see the list of courses.
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