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.
Exploring Technical Careers and College, Programming, Engineering Design, Creative Robotics, and all Hands-On STEM Education Strategies
Virginia Tech's DC Metro Area Thinkabit Lab STEM Education and Workforce Development Programs is the longest-serving collaborator in the Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab network. The mission of our Thinkabit Lab 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, and data collection and analysis.
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. The VT-DC STEM Labs team will work with like-minded teams, organizations and individuals interested in promoting curiosity, innovation, creativity, and students’ self-actualization and self-determination.