The Carrier STEMulated Minds program exclusively offered inside Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County successfully completed the first of three sections for the yearlong program designed for Club members to discover a potential future career in the sciences, technology and engineering field. For the past two months, more than 120 high school and middle school Club members from seven Clubs have participated in the innovative and highly interactive program made possible by Carrier with a generous grant. To celebrate the completion of the first segment, a Carrier STEMulated Minds Makers Fair was held at Neil S Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington on March 11. Four Carrier judges, Peter Chong, Edith Di Francesco, Mathew Freeman and Daniel Rush, listened to Club members’ presentations and watched the various demonstrations to award individual Club awards and present individual medals.
“It was wonderful to see how the Club members were able to relate to the projects and connect with them and to see how their designs could be used in a real-world environment,” said Carrier Vice President of Product Safety Dan Rush.
Each participating Club presented one of several STEM projects created over the past two months. The projects ranged from solar remote-controlled cars to an operational hand-cranked movie projector.
“The amount of dedication, ingenuity and complexity of the projects is what surprised me the most,” said Carrier Engineering Director Peter Wong. “This was a great experience. We all enjoyed it.”
Already plans are being made to start the second segment of the Carrier STEMulated Minds program which will focus on learning computer coding while programming drones. The next competition will include coding a drone to maneuver through an obstacle course.
“Our Club members are extremely grateful for this incredible opportunity of learning STEM principles through an engaging, hands-on approach. Without Carrier’s support, this program would not be possible. It’s opening doors for our Club members who are finding their passion for the STEM field,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Marketing Eric Roby. “The excitement of this program is noticeable in the Clubs. It is not an overstatement to say that for some of our members this may be a life-changing program as several Club members are now considering STEM careers in the future.”
While all participating Club members received a medal, the following Clubs also received these special awards:
Ingenuity Award- Smith & Moore Family Teen Center
Transformer Award- Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton
Impact Award- Marjorie S Fisher Boys & Girls Club
Curiosity Award- Max M Fisher Boys & Girls Club
Collaboration Award- Florence De George Boys & Girls Club
Maverick Award- Neil S Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club
Click on the link below to help support critical programs offered inside Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.
