2024 Winners
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Justin Ausburn, Brevard Middle School
Brevard, NCJustin and a second CTE teacher, Mr. Toms, will use these funds to expand the making capabilities at the school, specifically with hardware for the computer science course. The funds will help the school further its mission of being able to involve all 6th-8th grade students in maker education by never having to tell them no when they are being creative and to make computer science more engaging by being able to build hardware and write code.
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Jose Reza, Fab Lab El Paso
El Paso, TXJose will work with the team at the Fab Lab to host an entire month of programming, The DIY Chatbot for Problem Solving - AI Workshop Series, offering sixteen one-hour sessions. Students will explore computer science concepts by building personalized chatbots. These workshops will introduce core AI topics such as natural language processing, algorithms, and AI ethics, while also developing practical skills in computational thinking and prototyping. The Fab Lab will also support professional development for teachers, equipping them with the tools to integrate AI and maker education into classrooms.
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Dixie Cooper, X Studio at Explora Science Center and Children's Museum
Albuquerque, NMRecognizing that local teens have limited time to prioritize participation in materials-rich STEAM learning activities, the Work-based Wednesdays program is structured to meet the needs of students attending Albuquerque’s ACE Leadership High School through on-site learning and educational programming that introduces them to essential shop skills and concepts inside X Studio’s Makerspace, supporting the teens as they work towards creating prototypes of items that could improve their communities, thereby igniting problem solving skills while spurring career readiness and investigation.
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Jose Gonzalez, Davis Middle School
Compton, CAJose will expand opportunities for students to participate in project based learning projects that focus on environmental sustainability and ocean conservation. Students will design and build prototypes of ocean vessels, sustainable aquaponics systems, or regenerative ocean farms. This will include providing field trips to museums, institutions and organizations that support making our oceans more sustainable and a boat trip to nearby marine life refuge areas where students experience these sustainability efforts first hand.
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Yeidy Levels, P.S. 376
Brooklyn, NYYeidy will lead the Marvelous Makers: Mastering Meaningful Machines project, empowering the school’s underrepresented students to engage in hands-on STEM learning, develop crucial 21st-century skills, and create adaptive devices for individuals with disabilities in their community, fostering empathy, innovation, and a passion for technology while contributing to a more diverse future STEM workforce.
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Adam Lueken, XPerience Coding & Consulting
Vernon Hills, ILAdam and XPerience Coding & Consulting will equip underserved students with STEM skills to design accessible smart home solutions for people with disabilities, like automated door openers. Through custom kits and mentorship, students will gain hands-on experience with Arduino programming, prototyping, and real-world problem-solving that empowers them to create meaningful impact in their communities.
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Victoria Savo, Swiftwater Intermediate School
Swiftwater, PAVictoria’s project, STEM in Social Studies: Learning and Connecting History with Modern-Day Technology, will engage 4th-6th graders in hands-on interdisciplinary projects that interweave Social Studies into STEAM curriculum. Fourth graders will research state landmarks, design automata, and use the laser engraver to create moving pieces that reflect their learning. Fifth graders will investigate symbolism in Indigenous cultures and NASA mission patches, utilizing Canva for design and learning to code LED lights for animation. Sixth graders will explore cultural interpretations of the night sky, designing constellations and legends that will be engraved onto a robot simulating star movement.
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Nathan Sekinger, T Benton Gayle Middle School
Fredericksburg, VANathan and colleagues will lead the Your Future Home project, where students will learn about the challenges and opportunities in housing, including why housing is so expensive and how technology might support newer designs, improved construction and better solutions. Students will investigate green housing, 3D printed construction, manufactured housing and even the tiny home movement. By learning about these topics and combining that with developing skills in 3D design and 3D printing, they will have the creative and problem solving opportunities to design their future homes and solve global problems along the way.
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Mya Stark, Two Bit Circus Foundation
Los Angeles, CAMya and the Two Bit Circus Foundation team will launch its Coding Crew program in Green Dot Schools, empowering underserved students to explore computer science through a peer-led, hands-on coding curriculum. Coding Crew uses a peer-based learning model that engages students in computer science concepts while guiding them through the process of co-designing a video game with their classmates. Older students take on the role of mentors, teaching younger peers to create video games using Scratch, a beginner-friendly coding platform. By training teachers to facilitate Coding Crew independently, they ensure the program’s sustainability, allowing it to reach new groups of students each semester and build a lasting foundation for STEM proficiency in low-income communities.
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Amy White-Yenor, Carroll M. Johnston STEM Academy of Environmental Science
North Las Vegas, NVAmy and the Academy will empower collaborative student teams to identify and solve real world environmental problems with creative solutions. Students will learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the teams will select one goal that most affects the local community. As student teams research this goal, they will consider the local impact of the problem, and consider creative solutions for the problem. Teams will work through the steps of the engineering design process to design their innovative solution and participate in micro:bit’s do your :bit challenge.