This summer, Innoverge hosted our 2022 Summer Education Learning Program: Sustainable STEMx, a series of workshops highlighting the science behind culturally significant indigenous methods and traditions. We partnered with the Upward Bound Program at Pierce College for students from historically marginalized and economically challenged communities. Over the span of 8 weeks, our program impacted 65 students in grades 7 through 12.

A belief shared by many indigenous cultures is the notion that everything in the environment is deeply interconnected and woven together. Students learned about this reciprocal relationship with our ecosystem that provides services to us (like water, clean air, fertile soil, food, and medicine) and the importance of caring for the species that provide us life. We must be responsible stewards if we are to have a sustainable future, and we must provide learning opportunities for our youth to not only learn but experience what this feels and looks like. Sustainable STEMx did just that through an immersive learning experience.

Program Breakdown: 

Our Education Heads (Veda Dayananda and Damian) and our Executive Director (Ilana Nguyen) developed an interactive, hands-on curriculum. Week 1 focused on materials science, where students learned about the use of eco-friendly materials in the engineering process and built their own mini-canoes! They were then able to experience what it really feels like to go on a canoe. They learned about the history of how canoes have evolved over time, and the cultural significance of the canoe for indigenous peoples around the world.

During Week 2, students learned about the interconnectedness of life and the importance of humans’ relationships with plants in the environment. They designed their own “eco-columns,” mini models of the ecosystem, and tended to their projects throughout the duration of the program.

During Weeks 3 and 4, students learned about the growing importance of renewable energy by building solar ovens and mini wind turbines. During Week 5, they visited a nearby lake to test the quality of the water and learn about the importance of keeping our environment clean. Week 6 was a deep dive into the “motion of the oceans”; students built models illustrating convection currents to understand how the Indigenous peoples navigate the seas. Over the last 2 weeks, students worked on a final project to apply what they learned throughout the duration of the program. In groups, they used the engineering process to design and test a Hōkūleʻa, a deep sea voyaging canoe–it takes a village to plan a voyage!

According to one student, “the ability to build the models and then go outside and experience the ecosystem really allowed [her] to understand better.”

One student stated that she “learned so much through the indigenous peoples’ relationship with plants” and that “the world could learn a lot from this.” 

Another student stated that she “wished this was taught in school in this way; [she] and other students would probably be more engaged.”

Sui-Lan Ho’okano, the director of the program and a Native Hawaiian, stated that “All the students were so engaged and excited for each project.”

It was such a pleasure to see the positive impact of our workshops! We would like to thank the students who participated and Sui-Lan and Simon Wu from the Upward Bound Program for organizing this program! Stay tuned for more news about what Innoverge is up to!

He wa’a he moku, he moku he wa’a

A Canoe is an Island, an Island is a Canoe

The program was featured in The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/local-schools-opt-for-a-show-what-you-know-system-over-letter-grades/

Get Involved: Would you like to support our programs, like the Summer Learning Program, to expand barrier-less STEM education for youths? Donate here, or get involved with Innoverge by subscribing to our Newsletter, becoming a Regional Director, or being a mentor for our Incubator Mentorship Program! Want to participate in our next Remote or In-Person Learning Program? Email hello@innoverge.org.

What has our Programs Team been up to? Hosting our monthly Fireside Chats of course!

We were motivated to make a bigger change in the world after hearing Catherine and Dr. Korie’s stories! Here is a snippet of what our speakers have done:

Catherine Yeo is an undergraduate at Harvard University studying Computer Science & English. She particularly focuses on AI fairness and human-computer interaction. Catherine recently started the nonprofit Fair Bytes to advance AI fairness & ethics education, reaching 25,000+ individuals since its launch in 2020, and has organized 10 hackathons. Her active outreach initiatives have been recognized by Teen Vogue, NCWIT, CSforALL, and other media.

Dr. Korie Grayson is a biomedical engineer, chemical engineering researcher, and a diversity advocate in STEM. Currently, Korie is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan in Chemical Engineering. Korie is passionate about increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM by illustrating that representation matters and involves herself in advocacy work via community service, workshops, and public speaking engagements while redefining The Image of STEM!

We engaged with 30+ participants during our past two Fireside Chats, where we listened to Catherine and Dr. Korie’s experiences, advocating for equality and inclusivity in STEM. Watch the past two Firesides here!