[Applause]
okay hello everyone
[Music]
[Applause]
I am a roboticist I look to build and
create things today I’m here to talk
about my journey with robotics and my
passion for science technology
engineering and mathematics otherwise
known as stem but before I get to that I
would like to give you some educational
context during a 2015 international
assessment Singapore akima is a global
leader in science and mathematics by
contrast the United States came in a
dismal 25th and science we ranked even
lower and math 35th globally on a state
level Oregon is only average in terms of
science education as compared to other
states so what should we do about it
really what should we do about this this
is a big issue the logical question is
how do we boost our rankings and score
higher on these tests and define the
answer I propose how we look away from
an education system yes there are some
important reforms we must make in our
schools in order to raise our scores but
the most important learning opportunity
happens outside of schools for me my
wrench into stem parallels one of the
most celebrated stories of our time the
Wizard of Oz I remember reading the
story with my parents at a young age in
the sense of awe and excitement I felt
as I followed Dorothy through her
adventures and like Dorothy I was it
began
I was about to begin my journey on my
own yellow brick road but I also
remember the disappointment I felt when
I found out that magic isn’t real and I
no matter how many pairs of red shoes a
trade on
I couldn’t magically teleport anywhere
but I realized there’s more to this
story than fictional magic this story
teaches us that every one of us has a
different roadmap a unique adventure as
we try to read
our own oz whatever and wherever maybe
just as Dorothy has a companion Toto it
is our curiosity that guides us from a
young age I was introduced to stem
activities that must have only been two
or three years old when began creating
and building with my hands that’s really
how I knew in fact one of my first
memories is assembling a puzzle with my
parents
I remember defiantly trying to piece
together a puzzle from one of the pieces
in the middle instead of the borders
partly because I could and partly
because I was trying I was curious about
trying in a different way this hands-on
approach during my formative years was
essential to developing my stem passions
end up in developing my sense of logic
as well as providing me with one of my
most loyal companions curiosity which is
my Toto there has been some incredible
research in the field of tactile
learning and learning by doing and I
will get back to that a little bit later
so along with puzzles we also had Legos
at home strangely I was not really the
one for Legos maybe had to do with the
fact they were deadly when stepped on
really how many of you have stepped on
one there goes our quiet but in all
seriousness Legos are quite literally
the building blocks of learning they
help kids and adults alike explore the
creativity and strengthen their
geometric thinking and problem-solving
skills all crucial to STEM education in
addition to puzzles and Legos science
fairs were also an important stop on my
yellow brick road science fairs
encouraged learning by doing whether it
be for your own project or for your
peers I never want anything in a science
competition it usually ended up with my
mom asking Annie why is there a
three-foot block of styrofoam in your
room it it doesn’t turn out well
to participate in the science fair I
like Dorothy eating my trusty sidekick
Toto along with courage hearts and
brains courage to compete and to put
myself out there the heart to accept
winning or more importantly losing in
the brains to show up and put together a
project the exploding volcano made out
of baking soda and vinegar was of course
the classic but really wasn’t the only
thing the kids remember when they go to
a science fair whether it be about the
effects of dry ice or how acids work
science fairs feel the Nate Curiosity
embedded in each child and inspire them
to dive deeper into STEM science first
teach children to love science and more
importantly why they should let science
which is to understand the world around
us another important salvo mio epic Road
also happens to be the most daunting
subject in school mathematics math is
definitely the Wicked Witch of the story
there’s a big misconception when it
comes to math that you have to be good
at math or even great at math – like any
other parts of stem like robotics that’s
not true at all in fact you don’t even
have to be good at math to be great at
robotics at the core of it it’s about
learning and building with your hands
not about how well you can remember the
quadratic formula negative B plus or
minus the square root of U squared okay
coding on the other hand though is not
more crucial than ever to a stem
education they’re even gamified apps are
for your iPhones that capture kids
interests and lay the groundwork for
coding tasks we take for granted like
unlocking your cell phone or simply
typing on a keyboard are all thanks to
the power of coding having the ability
to code gives me power to defeat the
witch
well all of these experiences in stem
have led up to is my passion for
building robots with an engineer for dad
it should really be no surprise that was
drawn to this world three years ago when
I was a freshman in high school I joined
a local robotics team the Lake Monsters
at Lake Oswego on the team I learned so
many things had to CAD how to use
machining tools how’s it programmed for
in CNC operation hella metal parts how
to mail out parts that hand how to
problem-solve and so much more and all
of this is done at Lake urges lab the
robotics is a field where I applied
techniques and learnings from science
from math from physics and apply them in
a hands-on way in academia we call this
tactile learning an approach that for so
many of us it feels a lot more than
standardized testing or sitting down for
a 90-minute lecture in fact research has
shown that 61% of students prefer most
multiple sazzle learning but if they
have to choose just one tactile learning
comes out on top it has also been found
that because the right side of the brain
is still developing for kids ages
between four and seven they learn most
easily through visual and tactile types
of learning tactile learning is linked
to increased comprehension supports
creative problem-solving and replaces
passive learning one of my favorite
quotes on the subject comes from by
Martha Harvard busy hands means busy
brains I have been on this road for 17
years now and I still don’t know what my
Oz’s I’ll definitely be going to college
to study biomedical engineering or a
chemical engineering or even mechanical
engineering or maybe not maybe I’ll go
off and start off start my own company
like my dad
[Applause]
oh no in time the only thing I’m 100%
sure of is with curiosity smarts courage
and heart by my side I’m excited for the
rest of my adventure
[Applause]
we will all encounter wicked witches on
our respective journeys evil monkeys
will no doubt be hidden along the road
now
TEDx Portland has become a
transformative experience for the city
and one of the reasons why is that
people are bringing their kids for many
of us this is the most inspirational day
of the year in kids under 20 and there
are about three hundred view here I’m
talking directly to you and for all the
parents teachers or even grandparents
out there I want to remind you that
all’s can only be reached if classroom
learning is supplemented with engagement
by you with multimodal learning
opportunities and my ask of you is
please play the roles of the other
characters in this story and keep your
Dorothy on the yellow brick road
please teach your children the courage
to dive into new activities into facing
obstacles give them the heart to pursue
their passions and the smarts and
knowledge to engage with stem the first
step can be as simple as buying Legos
and DUPLO or performing the classic
volcano experiment in your kitchen did
you know that right here in our backyard
there was a book created called
creatures in code it teaches kids the
basis of coding with cute images and
colorful monsters read the book with
your child along the next rainy day take
them to an Zee guide them through the
hands-on sections explain the why behind
each and every crazy science experiment
enroll them in stem camp there are a
couple wonderful camps in town like the
mad science camp or the girls
engineering camp at Pacific University
light the spark and fanned the flame of
curiosity within your child help them
find their inner toto and kids if you’re
like me young and passionate don’t be
afraid to chase your career
three Leto to be your spirit animal
[Applause]
you may not be interested in stem and
that’s okay whether it’s art or history
or something keep going now there are
two things I would like for you to take
away from this talk one the stem is for
everyone no matter of your mathematical
skills and to every child no matter the
type of education they’re interested in
needs supportive parents teachers and
mentors behind them they’re just like
the 10-man the line and the Scarecrow to
guide them onto the right path and to
help them find their own magical brick
road thank you
you
okay hello everyone
[Music]
[Applause]
I am a roboticist I look to build and
create things today I’m here to talk
about my journey with robotics and my
passion for science technology
engineering and mathematics otherwise
known as stem but before I get to that I
would like to give you some educational
context during a 2015 international
assessment Singapore akima is a global
leader in science and mathematics by
contrast the United States came in a
dismal 25th and science we ranked even
lower and math 35th globally on a state
level Oregon is only average in terms of
science education as compared to other
states so what should we do about it
really what should we do about this this
is a big issue the logical question is
how do we boost our rankings and score
higher on these tests and define the
answer I propose how we look away from
an education system yes there are some
important reforms we must make in our
schools in order to raise our scores but
the most important learning opportunity
happens outside of schools for me my
wrench into stem parallels one of the
most celebrated stories of our time the
Wizard of Oz I remember reading the
story with my parents at a young age in
the sense of awe and excitement I felt
as I followed Dorothy through her
adventures and like Dorothy I was it
began
I was about to begin my journey on my
own yellow brick road but I also
remember the disappointment I felt when
I found out that magic isn’t real and I
no matter how many pairs of red shoes a
trade on
I couldn’t magically teleport anywhere
but I realized there’s more to this
story than fictional magic this story
teaches us that every one of us has a
different roadmap a unique adventure as
we try to read
our own oz whatever and wherever maybe
just as Dorothy has a companion Toto it
is our curiosity that guides us from a
young age I was introduced to stem
activities that must have only been two
or three years old when began creating
and building with my hands that’s really
how I knew in fact one of my first
memories is assembling a puzzle with my
parents
I remember defiantly trying to piece
together a puzzle from one of the pieces
in the middle instead of the borders
partly because I could and partly
because I was trying I was curious about
trying in a different way this hands-on
approach during my formative years was
essential to developing my stem passions
end up in developing my sense of logic
as well as providing me with one of my
most loyal companions curiosity which is
my Toto there has been some incredible
research in the field of tactile
learning and learning by doing and I
will get back to that a little bit later
so along with puzzles we also had Legos
at home strangely I was not really the
one for Legos maybe had to do with the
fact they were deadly when stepped on
really how many of you have stepped on
one there goes our quiet but in all
seriousness Legos are quite literally
the building blocks of learning they
help kids and adults alike explore the
creativity and strengthen their
geometric thinking and problem-solving
skills all crucial to STEM education in
addition to puzzles and Legos science
fairs were also an important stop on my
yellow brick road science fairs
encouraged learning by doing whether it
be for your own project or for your
peers I never want anything in a science
competition it usually ended up with my
mom asking Annie why is there a
three-foot block of styrofoam in your
room it it doesn’t turn out well
to participate in the science fair I
like Dorothy eating my trusty sidekick
Toto along with courage hearts and
brains courage to compete and to put
myself out there the heart to accept
winning or more importantly losing in
the brains to show up and put together a
project the exploding volcano made out
of baking soda and vinegar was of course
the classic but really wasn’t the only
thing the kids remember when they go to
a science fair whether it be about the
effects of dry ice or how acids work
science fairs feel the Nate Curiosity
embedded in each child and inspire them
to dive deeper into STEM science first
teach children to love science and more
importantly why they should let science
which is to understand the world around
us another important salvo mio epic Road
also happens to be the most daunting
subject in school mathematics math is
definitely the Wicked Witch of the story
there’s a big misconception when it
comes to math that you have to be good
at math or even great at math – like any
other parts of stem like robotics that’s
not true at all in fact you don’t even
have to be good at math to be great at
robotics at the core of it it’s about
learning and building with your hands
not about how well you can remember the
quadratic formula negative B plus or
minus the square root of U squared okay
coding on the other hand though is not
more crucial than ever to a stem
education they’re even gamified apps are
for your iPhones that capture kids
interests and lay the groundwork for
coding tasks we take for granted like
unlocking your cell phone or simply
typing on a keyboard are all thanks to
the power of coding having the ability
to code gives me power to defeat the
witch
well all of these experiences in stem
have led up to is my passion for
building robots with an engineer for dad
it should really be no surprise that was
drawn to this world three years ago when
I was a freshman in high school I joined
a local robotics team the Lake Monsters
at Lake Oswego on the team I learned so
many things had to CAD how to use
machining tools how’s it programmed for
in CNC operation hella metal parts how
to mail out parts that hand how to
problem-solve and so much more and all
of this is done at Lake urges lab the
robotics is a field where I applied
techniques and learnings from science
from math from physics and apply them in
a hands-on way in academia we call this
tactile learning an approach that for so
many of us it feels a lot more than
standardized testing or sitting down for
a 90-minute lecture in fact research has
shown that 61% of students prefer most
multiple sazzle learning but if they
have to choose just one tactile learning
comes out on top it has also been found
that because the right side of the brain
is still developing for kids ages
between four and seven they learn most
easily through visual and tactile types
of learning tactile learning is linked
to increased comprehension supports
creative problem-solving and replaces
passive learning one of my favorite
quotes on the subject comes from by
Martha Harvard busy hands means busy
brains I have been on this road for 17
years now and I still don’t know what my
Oz’s I’ll definitely be going to college
to study biomedical engineering or a
chemical engineering or even mechanical
engineering or maybe not maybe I’ll go
off and start off start my own company
like my dad
[Applause]
oh no in time the only thing I’m 100%
sure of is with curiosity smarts courage
and heart by my side I’m excited for the
rest of my adventure
[Applause]
we will all encounter wicked witches on
our respective journeys evil monkeys
will no doubt be hidden along the road
now
TEDx Portland has become a
transformative experience for the city
and one of the reasons why is that
people are bringing their kids for many
of us this is the most inspirational day
of the year in kids under 20 and there
are about three hundred view here I’m
talking directly to you and for all the
parents teachers or even grandparents
out there I want to remind you that
all’s can only be reached if classroom
learning is supplemented with engagement
by you with multimodal learning
opportunities and my ask of you is
please play the roles of the other
characters in this story and keep your
Dorothy on the yellow brick road
please teach your children the courage
to dive into new activities into facing
obstacles give them the heart to pursue
their passions and the smarts and
knowledge to engage with stem the first
step can be as simple as buying Legos
and DUPLO or performing the classic
volcano experiment in your kitchen did
you know that right here in our backyard
there was a book created called
creatures in code it teaches kids the
basis of coding with cute images and
colorful monsters read the book with
your child along the next rainy day take
them to an Zee guide them through the
hands-on sections explain the why behind
each and every crazy science experiment
enroll them in stem camp there are a
couple wonderful camps in town like the
mad science camp or the girls
engineering camp at Pacific University
light the spark and fanned the flame of
curiosity within your child help them
find their inner toto and kids if you’re
like me young and passionate don’t be
afraid to chase your career
three Leto to be your spirit animal
[Applause]
you may not be interested in stem and
that’s okay whether it’s art or history
or something keep going now there are
two things I would like for you to take
away from this talk one the stem is for
everyone no matter of your mathematical
skills and to every child no matter the
type of education they’re interested in
needs supportive parents teachers and
mentors behind them they’re just like
the 10-man the line and the Scarecrow to
guide them onto the right path and to
help them find their own magical brick
road thank you
you
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