Are you looking for inspiration on how to get involved in 优蜜视频鈥檚 upcoming peer-to-peer STEAM-A-THON fundraiser? Look no further than Academy students! 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math are infused in the work of Academy students, who show that learning can be both challenging and fun. Students in classes such as Math for Future Architects, Space Academy, Jurassic Life and smARTy Science turn problem-solving opportunities into innovative solutions and expressions of self. Thinking critically, trying new skills, and taking risks when collaborating with peers are lessons learned that go far beyond the classroom. What future professions do the talents seen in these projects by young bright students bring to mind? 

This fall, 优蜜视频 is excited to invite Academy students and other bright minds of all ages to participate in our STEAM-A-THON fundraising event by submitting a response to one of 3 challenges designed to promote innovation, community and play. Contestants will have the opportunity to win prizes determined by a panel of uniquely qualified judges. For more information on how to participate, including details on challenges,

What elements of STEAM would showcase YOUR interests and talents? 

If you would like to join us as a fundraiser without entering a submission for the STEAM-A-THON Challenge, .

优蜜视频鈥檚 STEAM-A-THON 2021 is a four-week virtual event set to kick-off on Saturday, September 18 and will feature engaging opening and closing presentations, an innovator STEAM Challenge with judges panel, multiple prize opportunities, and special Keynote Speaker, Mike Brown, Professor of Planetary Astronomy at Caltech. Join us for this wonderful opportunity to inspire our young STEAM critical thinkers while raising vital funds to support 优蜜视频鈥檚 gifted programs, services and financial aid for students in need. With your help, we can reach our overall fundraising goal of $40,000!

As educators around the world explore new ways to instill students with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful innovators in an ever-evolving 21^st century, there has been a growing emphasis placed on STEAM 鈥� an educational discipline that engages students with the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.  Many educators believe STEAM (and its forerunner STEM) is a critical component of 21^st education. 鈥淓ducation is under pressure to respond to a changing world,鈥� education writer Jeevan Vasagar asserts in a Financial Times article.  As repetitive tasks are eroded by technology and outsourcing, the ability to solve novel problems has become increasingly vital.鈥�

STEAM inspires teachers to utilize project-based learning that intersects each of the five fields and cultivates an inclusive learning environment in which all students are able to connect and contribute.  Unlike traditional methods of teaching, educators use the STEAM framework to bring the disciplines together and enable students to use both sides of their brain at the same time.  STEAM not only teaches students how to think critically, solve problems and use creativity, it prepares students to work in career areas that are predicted to experience significant growth.

Why add the 鈥淎鈥� in STEAM?  When it comes to equipping our youth with creative critical thinking skills, STEM is not enough. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) was one of the early champions of adding the arts to the earlier STEM education framework to create STEAM which emphasizes the important 鈥渟ymbiosis between the arts and sciences.鈥�  According to RISD, 鈥漈he goal is to foster the true innovation that comes with combining the mind of a scientist or technologist with that of an artist or designer.鈥�  Former RISD President, John Maeda, an early advocate for STEAM, has emphasized the concept that design thinking and creativity are essential ingredients for innovation.

The 优蜜视频 team is excited to be planning the 优蜜视频 STEAM-a-thon, a peer-to-peer fundraising event set to kick off on Saturday, September 18.  This four-week virtual event will feature opening and closing presentations, STEAM challenges/experiments for competition, a judges panel, prizes and a keynote speaker.  This is a wonderful opportunity to inspire young STEAM innovators from across the country and raise vital funding for 优蜜视频鈥檚 programs and services.   优蜜视频 needs your support!  We invite you, your family or your business to become a SPONSOR of the STEAM-a-thon.  In August, be on the lookout for information on the 优蜜视频 website about joining the STEAM-a-thon.

What are some educational, personal and professional highlights and/or accomplishments of yours since graduating from high school?

Graduated from Stanford with my BS in Computer Science (started out very intent on the Engineering Physics major; in classic Stanford fashion, accidentally took a CS course, discovered I could not put the books down, ignored everything about “be different, be different, don’t become a CS major” and became a CS major).听 Did a bunch of research like optical character recognition on historical law texts (my favorite library was the law library), gamified e-commerce, wrote my own programming language (on top of Python, silly me), etc. etc.听 Did a bunch of internships, most memorably LinkedIn the summer they announced the Microsoft acquisition.听 Started my MS in Computer Science also at Stanford but pulled a Larry & Sergey and took leave of absence听because I could not wait to get my hands dirty in industry.

I wanted to go way out of my comfort zone so I did the hardest thing imaginable and joined Bridgewater (hedge fund) because I’d fallen in love with portfolio management algorithms.听 I learned so much about how the world’s most intense systems (hundreds of billions of dollars) are engineered and optimized and re-engineered and re-optimized to the tiniest granularity possible.听 But I could not ignore my growing hunger to keep learning and building things for people, for human lives, for my family & friends to enjoy, so last year I joined Alexa at Amazon where I am now a software engineer working on a team that is building smart shopping for grocery, physical stores, and all sorts of devices among other things, which has become exponentially more useful and relevant to the world in this past year.听 Very excited to see what we can make for all of you.

What is a favorite 优蜜视频/CDB memory?

This is going to be a very predictable but I think important answer. Not even a few days into my first year of college, an 优蜜视频 alumna reached out to a group of new college freshmen to invite us to brunch. We had met perhaps once in person before then, but we instantly bonded as a group over our mutual shared experiences, the Conferences and events,听and appreciation for the 优蜜视频 community and those that make it possible. (It’s a widely known secret – I’m now going to only partially spill the beans – that there is a group of us self branded as “Bonnie’s kids” or some similar lingo which changes over the years. I am not sure what the current lingo is, so I’m not spilling the full beans, but Bonnie’s kids meet up all over the world and it is delightful and hilarious and heartwarming to me every time.)

What words of wisdom would you pass on to current 优蜜视频 students?

This question makes me laugh because I am absolutely not wise and do not feel qualified to write anything here.听 Maybe I’ll be able to say more at an 优蜜视频 event someday.听 One thing I do want to say, though, is to take the advice of your mentors seriously and yet not be afraid to challenge them and do things differently when your gut is screaming at you to听do otherwise.听 Who knows if this is the “right” way to do things, but I have found I am happiest and most able to act on my instincts when I know it’s right for me and it’s not what people expect of me.听 I think when that divergence happens, if (especially) it’s painful to reconcile, that’s a great sign that you’re following your internal compass and being true to yourself.

1. Write a poem or story about science.

Get writing! Tell a story about your favorite scientist as dramatically as you can, write poetry about a cool science fact, or describe a feat of engineering using your most vivid vocabulary.

2. Teach your family about something you love.

The best way to learn something deeply is to teach it. Turn your family members into your students and tell them all about something you鈥檝e learned recently whether it鈥檚 how to build the best paper airplane or how a chemical reaction works.

3. Create nature art.

Make a leaf rubbing, stick sculpture, or tower of balanced pebbles to integrate both sides of your brain.

4. Invent something to solve a problem.

What鈥檚 something you wish were easier? Design something to meet a need, starting with a blueprint and working toward a prototype.

5. Test your brain with riddles.

Find challenging riddles on or elsewhere, then attempt to solve them with your family.

6. Head to the library.

Ask a librarian to help you find books about STEAM at your reading level. Reading is a wonderful way to find a new interest!

7. Ask questions.

STEAM is all about asking creative questions and trying to find answers. Observe the world around you and keep a list of questions you come up with throughout the day: How do stoplights work? Why do some trees lose their leaves and not others? Then work with an adult to find the answers.

8. Build something using recycled materials.

Gather items you normally would have thrown away 鈥� packaging, receipts, dried-out pen, etc. 鈥� and see what you can build out of the items!

9. Interview a scientist.

If you were a scientist, what kind of scientist would you be? Research to find someone who has your dream job, then write them a letter or email asking them about their work and how they got to be where they are.

10. See what 优蜜视频 offerings are coming up!

If you鈥檙e local to the Pasadena area, check out our upcoming workshops (7^th-10^th grade), check back for the Spring schedule of classes (K-8^th grade) in a couple of weeks or mark your calendars for when the (10^th-12^th grade) externship program application goes live!

Celebrating a different way? Comment below!

When Leonardo da Vinci is mentioned, either in an academic setting or in a casual conversation, one of several knee-jerk references usually comes to mind:

• His inventions
• , his painstakingly accurate depiction of the human form
• His influence on the Renaissance as a whole

What is more fascinating about da Vinci than his singular achievements, however, is that his portfolio of accomplishments 鈥� both achieved and never fully realized 鈥� spans more disciplines and fields than any other inventor, scientist, artist or influencer either before or since. (They don鈥檛 call him The Renaissance Man for nothing!)

Not one to rest on his laurels, da Vinci is oft quoted as having said, 鈥�Learning never exhausts the mind.鈥� Did you know he is widely considered to be the father of architecture, paleontology, ichnology and dabbled 鈥� with varying intensity 鈥� in invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history and cartography?

Whatever profession you most associate with da Vinci, here are some fun facts to get you excited about and our upcoming classes.

Simply put, da Vinci loved water and anything associated with it. Though they never came to fruition in his lifetime, da Vinci developed plans for a SCUBA-like underwater breathing device, a life preserver, a diving bell and floating snowshoes.

This fall, Academy is running an NAGC award-winning curriculum course on sustainability, developed by Fellow Shelagh Gallagher, called It鈥檚 Electrifying! Fueling the Future, which focuses on alternative forms of energy, including wave energy and tidal energy.

He also studied the erosion of rivers in Europe and figured out that the earth is older than previously believed, based on a scientific investigation of water and soil samples, maps and journals. Though discredited at the time, due to the cultural climate, da Vinci鈥檚 findings were eventually deemed accurate.

Is your child interested in learning about the universe鈥檚 origin, evolution and current structure? Check out 优蜜视频 Academy instructor Tristan Murphy鈥檚 new class From Dust to Dawn: Constructing the History of the Universe, where students will gain a comprehensive understanding of our universe鈥檚 complex development into what it is today.

da Vinci was a creative writer 鈥� not in the style or vocabulary he chose, but in the physical act of writing he executed. He wrote most of his work from right to left 鈥� the opposite of traditional written print. The result of this writing was a mirror script, which was difficult for most people to read. Historians have postulated that he did so intentionally, in order to keep his writing secret, though it may be simply because he was left-handed, making this unusual writing style was easier.

Check out Academy鈥檚 Saturday class Page One: Creative Writing for an opportunity to delve into language, style, and genre 鈥� and possibly the chance to develop your own mirror script!

Flight was another big area of focus for da Vinci, who is credited as being the first person to study the flight of birds scientifically. He spent considerable time delving into the field of ornithology and used what he observed and analyzed as inspiration to try and replicate wings and flying apparatuses for humans using biomimicry. One of da Vinci鈥檚 designs that he never got off the ground (no pun intended) was the parachute. It wasn鈥檛 until the year 2000 that a South African skydiver finally tested da Vinci鈥檚 design by developing a prototype based on his sketches.

Is your child interested in similar types of STEAM constructs? Be sure to have them join the Tuesday afternoon course STEAM Building: Creative Constructs, where students will design and test things such as marble runs, catapults, parachutes, spaghetti bridges, and much more. Or, have your child try Inventioneers, a class based on genius inventors like da Vinci, where students will play the dual role of inventor and engineer and come up with their own genius invention!

da Vinci believed that sight was mankind鈥檚 most important sense, which is why he focused so heavily on art, architecture, biological studies, sketching and the written word. He is quoted as saying, 鈥淧ainting is poetry that is seen rather than felt.鈥�

Does your child have a knack for design and visuals? Do they enjoy creating appealing graphics and imagery? Be sure to sign them up for Web Design II: Form and Function on Monday evenings, where students will gain the skills needed to transform their own personally-designed website from functional to fabulous.

Though da Vinci鈥檚 list of accomplishments and endeavors may seem overwhelming, there鈥檚 no denying that his is truly a canon of inspiration and motivation. For more information on Genius Day X: Da Vinci: Restless Renaissance Rebel, visit the . This exciting day of learning is open to students in grades 4-8 and will take place at the breathtaking Getty Center on September 30th.

To view Academy course descriptions and register for fall courses, visit the . Apply by August 27^th!

What is your favorite work from da Vinci? Tell us in the comments!

Source: https://www.leonardodavinci.net/

By Vinjay Vale, 2013 CDB Scholar

Today鈥檚 education system has created a rift between STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and the humanities. It may seem counterintuitive, but听studying the humanities actually makes you a better scientist. Scholars of literature, philosophy, art, and history develop an understanding and appreciation for what it means to be human. I believe it is vital for scientists to study these fields, especially in a modern world full of rapid technological advances.

Through my own research, I experienced firsthand how the humanities can help scientific research.

My Regeneron STS project was on Artificial Intelligence, specifically teaching computer programs to learn and interpret geometric structures in visual scenes. The current state-of-the-art has poor spatial and compositional understanding; for example, it classifies a leopard-print couch as a leopard despite the furniture鈥檚 lack of a head and tail. Understanding how objects are composed of their parts is critical for complex vision tasks like visual reasoning. My approach to the problem deviated from the modern paradigm of neural networks. Believe it or not, I was inspired by a 1987 psychology paper by American vision scientist Irving Biederman on the Recognition By Components theory for human vision. The theory is based on breaking down complex objects into simple spatial elements called geons.

As I worked on my project, I spent multiple weeks outside the lab where I exclusively read books and papers, on subjects ranging from art to artificial intelligence, some suggested by my mentor Kevin Ellis (who I met through the听). In philosophy class, meanwhile, I learned about Plato鈥檚 Theory of Forms, and realized that I was trying to recreate a similar understanding of the visual world in computers.

Making connections between these diverse fields helped me develop the necessary insights to make headway on my interdisciplinary problem: teaching a computer to learn and interpret visual scenes.

My work falls into an emerging category of AI research called听explainable AI鈥娾�斺�妕hat is, building artificial intelligence systems that can articulate their thought processes to humans. This is an important area of AI safety, which merges ethics and philosophy with the more technical side of computer science.

In general, the gray area where ethics and tech meet is ripe for exploration. The underlying digital buzz permeating all aspects of our lives makes human moral judgement all the more essential. Think about social media, big pharma, self-driving cars鈥娾�斺�妔cientists who understand ethics have the capacity to make a positive impact on the world.听听听听that engaging in arts, history, and literature bolsters morality, compassion, and empathy. As a pianist, composer, and avid reader, I鈥檇 certainly like to think I鈥檝e benefited in this way.

My study of the humanities also has made me a better collaborator, by helping to sharpen my communication skills and compassion. I know that in the future I want to be part of interdisciplinary teams of scientists that tackle significant real-world problems. There鈥檚 no doubt that the interpersonal and collaborative skills that I learn from studying and discussing history, philosophy, and literature will be essential in the future.

Whether we鈥檙e talking about clinical trials (where every day human behavior can make or break a drug) or computer science (as in my experience drawn from art and psychology), understanding human nature is fundamental to doing science. When most people think about the future of humanity, they envision a universe where science has propelled our species towards a better tomorrow. But science alone is not enough to solve the world鈥檚 problems: that science needs to be done by听people who understand what it means to be human.

Like this post?听听to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.

Mark Erlandson, the parent of a gifted student who presently attends a boarding school out East, is a former lawyer and public high school English teacher from Wisconsin starting a new business as a legal writing consultant.

鈥淵ou can be anything you want to be鈥� is a cliche we all will probably tell, or have already told, our children at some time in their lives. For the gifted child, this statement may be closer to the truth. But having too many skills and abilities and multiple interests can be overwhelming, and what exactly does 鈥渁nything鈥� mean? How do we help the gifted student to understand what the 鈥渁nything鈥� is and to find the right career match?

To begin, two caveats: technological innovation and economic globalization have brought about swift change to the practice and outlook of many occupations and will continue to do so. Therefore, the goal of much early career planning should be to explore and understand the nature and variety of work available, not to choose a specific career. At most, paint in broad strokes and identify career areas that a child may want to enter.

Second, children鈥檚 interests often change as they mature. What once lit that flame of enthusiasm in 8th grade may have diminished by junior year of high school. That is natural. Expect your child鈥檚 passions to ebb and flow as he or she ages, becoming exposed to and participating in life鈥檚 experiences and learning more about themselves.

At the elementary school age, children need to just learn about the world of work in general. Begin by explaining your own job, both the advantages and disadvantages. It is called work and not play for a reason. Then have other relatives and friends explain their jobs and what they like or dislike about them. Ask your child to picture himself or herself in that job and what he or she would like or dislike about it. Try to stay away from the salary as a motivating factor. (The need for financial literacy is a topic for another day.) When you are out in public, point out the people working. Speculate with your child about that occupation鈥檚 advantages and disadvantages and how he or she would enjoy it. In all these situations, ask how the job contributes to society and what needs of people it meets.

Another way to begin discussion about possible employment is to connect current events with the world of work. Discuss, for instance, what occupations might have been affected by the drought in California or the political instability of the Middle East and how.

As children enter middle school and high school, research becomes important. An excellent resource is the . Another place for extensive information on careers is . Both sites break the work world into fields like Architecture and Engineering, Computer and Information Technology, and Business and Financial. They then provide information on the tasks involved in the career, the working conditions, the size of the occupation, the expected rate of growth and future prospects, the training involved or expected, the earnings, and the career ladder among other things. Other useful websites include , , and .

(A career in the military should not be ignored, though this is another topic best left for another day. Perhaps surprisingly, Forbes lists the three service academies among the top 30 on its 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Top Colleges List.鈥�)

Don鈥檛 forget to use your library鈥檚 resources. Some helpful sources include the Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance (R331.7 ENC); The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (R371.42); and Career Discovery Encyclopedia (R331.7 CAR). There are also many books on specific careers or career fields. For instance, there are books about nursing and books on careers in health care.

Of course, job shadowing provides some of the most realistic evidence of what a job is really like. This is as close as you can come to actually practicing the occupation. It can also dispel common misconceptions formed through such sources as television. For example, many children are surprised that the career of a forensic scientist is nothing like that seen on the CSI programs. Many companies now have formal job shadowing programs. Be sure to check their websites. But don鈥檛 be afraid to just call a business informally, as most companies will be happy to allow someone to job shadow. Contacting the human resource department is often a great place to start as is using relatives and acquaintances to network. Prepare for the experience by researching the occupation as outlined above and preparing a list of questions to ask. Don鈥檛 forget to send a thank-you note afterwards.

As the ancient Delphic maxim states, 鈥淜now thyself.鈥� Once a child matures and can accurately identify and understand his or her personality, interests, skills and values, self-assessment becomes a critical part of the career exploration process.

Personality tests help students to understand themselves. One of the most common, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), divides people into four dichotomies: Extroversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. These results are then used to place people into 16 personality types, e.g., INTP or ESFJ. Personality types can be matched with occupations that fit them. While the actual MBTI requires a certified professional to both administer and interpret (See for more information), a similar Jungian personality test may be taken for free at .

Interest inventories like the Strong Interest Inventory can provide additional information about self. Social scientists have found that interests in activities related to the world of work can be divided into six categories: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Combinations of these interests can be matched with various careers. For example, scientists tend to have strong interests in the areas of Realistic and Investigative while architects tend to be interested in the areas Artistic, Investigative and Realistic.

Of course, it is not enough to just be interested in a career; you must also have the necessary skills and abilities. The U.S. Department of Labor to identify a child鈥檚 skills that it then matches with careers that require that skill set. You can also start by identifying an occupation and then take a shorter assessment focusing only on the skills required by that occupation.

One final area, which is often ignored in the career exploration process, is work values. Satisfaction with one鈥檚 job is not just that it suits one鈥檚 personality and that he or she is good at it, but that it is similar to one鈥檚 values. For example, how important is it that the job provides recognition in the form of promotions or praise or that the job contributes to the betterment of society. Ultimately, this area might be the most crucial one leading to a long and satisfying career.

Picking the wrong career can lead to lifelong dissatisfaction, even burn-out, and waste the potential of the gifted child. To conclude with another cliche, 鈥渒nowledge is power,鈥� the power to avoid just such a situation.

Do you know a gifted high school student interested in learning more about a potential career field through hands-on experience? Check out !

Like this post? Please share!