STEAM-TEAMS-notes

STEAM TEAMS MEETINGS AND NOTES

This web page documents the series of STEAM-TEAMS meetings for 2025.

11 Feb

BRIEF WEBSITE OVERVIEW

Dr Santiago presented a brief overview of the IEEE Pikes Peak Section (PPS) Website by showing how to navigate key sections found within the website. The overview includes the following:

Young Professional Calendar. Shown on the left page of the website, this shows the current activities are currently ongoing in the section. Young Professional is emphasized since the overall objective is to prepare the Young Professional members to be leaders in Section/Chapters/Group. A larger calendar can be in the News section on the main menu: Events from February 1 – March 4 IEEE Pikes Peak Section

Once a member becomes familiar with the multimedia content found on this website, you really don’t need to create a PowerPoint slide when doing your community and industry outreach activities. The website is based on curated multimedia content, leveraging both IEEE and non-IEEE resources that serves multiple purposes:

Provides resources and tools for Section members to be ambassadors for IEEE
Prepare future Section leaders
Use Section weblinks as proof-of-work to recommend awards and entering graduate school
Historical archive for future Section leaders

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

To provide context of past student activities, Dr Santiago showed the first four videos were shown conducted as Colorado Technical University as IEEE Student Branch Faculty Advisor. The video playlist is shown below:

The first video was created by a student who attended Disney’s Imagineering program. He is currently working at Disneyland at China on animatronics…yes…he speaks fluent Chinese. It was mentioned in the meeting that Disneyland’s emphasis is on safety doing coordinated swarm technologies of drones on water.
The second video captures an engineering summit by a team of about ten students. Their STEM demos include: Jacob’s Ladder, dirt battery, omni-directional Mecanum wheels, Tesla Coil for wireless power, mini-Segway (inverted pendulum), a robotics arena. Other demos include: Lego Robotics (line following applications), simple motor demonstrations, Microsoft kinect use of animations.
Third video is a testing the omni-directional Mecanum wheels.
The fourth video is final and late-night successful testing of their Tesla coil. Note the enthusiasm when they got it to work.
The fifth video is taking a break by flying a quadcoptor Phantom with visiting parents and their kids encouraging their interests in engineering concepts.

AI-ASSISTED CONTENT: WHY JOIN IEEE?

The video below provides an example on the use of AI-assisted technologies. In this case, a photo is converted into a talking video. Since this is a first-generation iteration of this technology, little or no blinking of eyes are shown.

The video encourages prospective engineering students to join IEEE at student discount prices as well as informing them as a strategic return-of-investment.

CREATE YOUR OWN YOUTUBE VIDEO PLAYLIST

Dr Santiago presented a video playlist that Section Members can use when doing community outreach. Members can develop their own playlist by adding these or their own videos to motivate k-12 students to enter the STEM/STEAM disciplines with emphasis, of course, on engineering.

17 Mar

This tab is currently under construction.

If this is your first STEAM/STEM Section meeting, recommend to review previous meeting notes.

Here are the results of the survey/feedback from the 11 February Meeting.

We will cover interactive PhET Simulations that you can use during community outreach. For more info and more interactive demos, please see: PhET Demos or PhET Math Demos

The PhET Simulations has the flexibility to cover items 1, 2 and 3 of the feedback survey as well. More different type of simulations will be given in the future.

These simulation tools will empower you to reach out and to the k-12 community.

More STEAM/STEM Demos

Here are some future STEAM/STEM demos to be shown in future meetings

Below are some PhET simulations that can be discussed and described in the meeting.

CAN YOU RIDE A BACKWARD BICYCLE?

An illustration of how your mind can be fixed on a set pattern. It also shows how your mindset can affect on either having a growth or fixed mindset.

Summary of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN)

The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) is a collaborative network of universities, faculty, and industry professionals dedicated to instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students. KEEN aims to go beyond traditional technical training by integrating curiosity, connections, and creating value (3Cs) into engineering education, preparing graduates to be innovative problem-solvers and ethical leaders in a rapidly evolving world.

Mission & Vision

KEEN’s mission is to develop engineers who have an entrepreneurial mindset and can create societal and economic value through their work. The network envisions a future where engineers are not only technically competent but also:

Curious about the world and continuously seeking knowledge.
Connected to people, ideas, and opportunities beyond their immediate discipline.
Value creators, ensuring their solutions have meaningful impact.

Key Components of the Entrepreneurial Mindset (3Cs)

Curiosity – Encouraging students to ask questions, explore multiple perspectives, and engage in lifelong learning.
Connections – Teaching students to integrate knowledge from different fields, collaborate effectively, and build meaningful relationships.
Creating Value – Ensuring that engineering solutions address real-world needs, are sustainable, and benefit society.

How KEEN Works

Faculty Development – KEEN provides resources, training, and grants to help educators integrate the entrepreneurial mindset into engineering curricula.
Student Engagement – Through hands-on projects, interdisciplinary teamwork, and experiential learning, students gain problem-solving skills that prepare them for industry challenges.
Collaboration & Resources – KEEN members share best practices, curriculum modules, and innovative teaching methods via conferences, workshops, and digital platforms.

Impact on Engineering Education

KEEN has influenced over 50 universities in the United States, reshaping how engineering programs develop students’ skills beyond technical expertise. The network fosters innovation, adaptability, and leadership, equipping engineers to thrive in startups, corporations, and research environments.

KEEN aligns well with modern engineering challenges, where success depends not just on technical knowledge but also on creative problem-solving, ethical decision-making, and the ability to drive change in organizations and society.

More information can be found here: Home | Engineering Unleashed

ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET (OR KERN ENTREPRENEURIAL ENGINEERING NETWORK OR KEEN)

Here’s a short 2-minute video by the KEEN Director, Doug Melton.

Resources

RESOURCES AND TOOLS

Here are some resources you can use in your community outreach activities.

Here are more resources not found in this website that may prove useful. If you found some videos or other multimedia content or tools that will encourage and motivate students to enter the STEM/STEAM fields, please contact Dr John Santiago.

Active and engaged members can document their IEEE work activities for future awards and recognition events in teams of self-leadership, team leadership and organization leadership, such as participation in STEM/STEAM activities here: IEEE Section Member Activity Log

LET’S PUMP IT (“STEM/STEAM”) UP

How?

Step 1. Play the first YouTube Video below for background music. If you want to loop the music, right click on the video and select ‘LOOP’)

Step 2. Then scroll down and play the next video. The video has AI-generated images and animation using green screen techniques, Arduino App, student projects, like the Tesla coil, dirt battery and robotics arena. Hence, you can transition on topics you are most comfortable.

Note 1: This is just one example to serve as “elevator music/or video”) before presenting your lesson.

Note 2: If you have other ideas to arouse curiosity for intros, please let Dr John Santiago know.