At the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival (https://www.scifest.vegas/), science and technology are multifaceted fun.Hands-on workshops, outdoor activities, tours and public talks occur throughout the nine days of this annual festival, presented by the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. All festival events are free.Started in 2011, the Festival has become the largest educational event in Nevada. Collaborators include the Clark County School District and the National Park Service,. A...

Are robotics for you?Absolutely, says author, researcher, educator and keynote speaker Dr. Carlotta Berry.Robotics, she continues, encompasses all areas of interest--including art, history, music and even creative writing.Carlotta, who teaches electrical engineering and robotics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana, has coined the term "NoireSTEMinist®" to describe her work. A "NoireSTEMinist®", she explains on her LinkedIn profile, "devises new and innovative ways to bring STEM...

Over Coffee® is on spring-break hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023!Could you speak a 3D object into existence through AI?Well--not just yet.But ENGAGE XR (https://engagevr.io/) Senior Sales Engineer Chris Madsen says it's coming.While ENGAGE XR could technically be described as "an Ireland-based XR software firm", that phrasing doesn't capture the magic.ENGAGE puts XR content creation within everyone's reach--with or without coding or worldbuilding skills....

For award-winning educator Professor William Jackson (https://myquesttoteach.com/), imagination and creativity are the cornerstones of teaching.William is the Education Program Director for the World Metaverse Council (https://wmetac.com/). He is also a certified S.T.E.A.M. + M (science, technology, education and math, and the metaverse!) teacher, as well as a certified VR instructor. In addition, he is CEO of My Quest to Teach (https://myquesttoteach.com/) and MetaverseWP...

Can artificial intelligence help to bridge the gender-based digital divide in our future tech workforce?That's exactly the goal of a brand-new initiative by global tech education nonprofit Technovation (https://www.technovation.org/).In January, Technovation announced "The AI Forward Allance". (https://technovationchallenge.org/)The AI Forward Alliance challenges teams of girls, ages 8 - 18 , to use artificial intelligence to come up with an app that solves a real-world problem. (It's also a...

This post and podcast are not, in any way, shape or form, affiliated with, nor endorsed by, NASA. We are NOT employed by NASA. (We just think this is very exciting stuff!)"There is no better feeling you'll have in life, than achieving something or succeeding as a team,," says NASA Astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain Stephen G. Bowen (https://www.nasa.gov/people/stephen-g-bowen/).He would certainly know.Steve's career, so far, has included four flights to the International Space Station...

"I see (art and engineering) as two sides of the same coin," says reDiscover Center (https://rediscovercenter.org/) Executive Director Jonathan Markowitz Bijur.If that "coin" had two additional sides, they might well be sustainability--and inspiration.That's because reDiscover Center starts with the concept of a "maker space", and puts the concept of "creative reuse" at the core of everything they do.Educating youth to use discarded materials to create something really cool; empowering makers...

"Once we work together on projects,...we see that the differences between us aren't that great,' says Africa VR Campus and Center (https://www.africavr.org/) Co-founder and Associate Director Dr. Tom Nickel.His vision? To empower people from all over the world, towards a better future.Tom's work with Africa VR Campus and Center has been key to their outreach to students, covered in our earlier interviews with Founder/CEO Paul Simon Waiyaki (https://twomaverix.com/?p=30459) and XR Girls...

"In the beginning, they didn't know what the metaverse was all about," says XR Girls Africa (https://www.africavr.org/africavr-network) Founder Diana Njeri.But to say that the young women whom she mentors learned quickly, would be an understatement.Diana, who is an Associate Director of Africa VR Campus and Center (https://www.africavr.org/), says she was introduced to VR by Africa VR Campus and Center Founder/CEO Paul Simon Waiyaki, (https://twomaverix.com/?p=30459)Fascinated by the new...

"My mind was blown!" says Africa VR Campus and Center (https://www.africavr.org/) Founder/CEO Paul Simon Waiyaki.He's describing his own introduction to virtual reality. But what he's also describing, is the cornerstone of his current work.As the first African in the metaverse, Waiyaki, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, has created a virtual network of communities. Africa VR Campus and Center is, as their website says, "a place and a network for young Africans in VR for Social Change."Part of...

"You almost can't do anything any more that does not (involve) S.T.E.A.M.," says Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (https://recf.org/) Community Innovations Manager Nancy McIntyre.Nancy, who will be giving two presentations at this week's California STEAM Symposium (https://cdefoundation.org/cde_programs/steam/), in Long Beach, CA, is a former teacher and robotics coach.And she's discussing teaching students skills for today's job market, through hands-on experience.That...

On New Year's Day, 2024, a "cool bus" made its way down Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard.This wasn't just any bus. In fact, it wasn't, technically, a bus at all.What it was, was La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association' (https://lcftra.clubexpress.com/)s award-winning Rose Parade® float, "Flower Power", drawing delighted responses from parade goers as it went by."Flower Power" was a peace-symbol-decked, 1960s-style school bus (labeled "cool bus"!), driven by a rose and with a band of...

What does S.T.E.A.M. mean in your life?Huh? What's S.T.E.A.M.?Well, you're probably familiar with the acronym STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math.S.T.E.A.M. is, simply, the addition of art to the mix.As we celebrate a new season of Over Coffee®, here is our special-edition look at the ways science, technology, engineering, art and math are intertwined--and the ways they can boost creativity.Here are excerpts from our previous conversations, each illustrating a different...

At the California STEAM Symposium (https://cdefoundation.org/cde_programs/steam/), education is exciting.It's also playful, thoughtful, and innovative.This annual event, co-hosted by nonprofit Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, the California Department of Education and the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, allows education professionals to explore new and imaginative ways to involve students in learning through highly visual combinations of science, technology,...

"Impossible" is not a word that deters Brandenburg Labs (https://brandenburg-labs.com/) Founder/CEO Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg.He heard that term in the past, applied to an innovation he and his team were creating: the audio MP3 format.After "doing the impossible" and making audio history, Dr. Brandenburg is looking towards the future as he and his team exhibit at CES® 2024, in Las Vegas.In their suite at the Venetian, Brandenburg Labs will be showcasing the world's first truly immersive audio...

BeAware (https://deafassistant.com/) Founder Saamer Mansoor is using his technical talent to make the world more accessible.His award-winning Detroit-based startup will be exhibiting at CES® 2024 in Las Vegas this week. So far, Saamer and his team have created four mobile applications for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.And he hopes everyone will make use of his free and open-source app, DeafAssistant (https://github.com/philparkus/BeAware), and give him feedback.DeafAssistant, Saamer...

Can you create a professional-quality online video, without having to worry about lighting or camera angles--or setting up your background?You can now, says Dr. Stephan Wurmlin Stadler, Co-Founder and CEO of Zurich-based startup Nimagna (https://www.nimagna.com/).Stephan will be showcasing Nimagna, which is an AI video producer for webinars, online training and presentations, in the Eureka Park startup area of CES® 2024 this week.The technology, he explains, will automatically determine the...

For Lugano-based Lighthouse Tech (https://www.lighthousetech.ch/), the term "smart wearable" has dual meanings.In the technological sense, they're creating smart eyewear--with sensors to promote mobility for blind and visually-impaired wearersHowever, the device is also "smart" in terms of being stylish.Lighthouse Tech Co-Founder and COO/Innovation Lead Dr. Nathan Deutsch explains that the device prototype, the LTH-01, is equipped with hidden sensors. These sensors signal a blind or...

The countdown is on!On New Year's Day, Pasadena's 135th Rose Parade®is happening.Creating a parade float that works, technically, and is knock-everyone's-eyes-out spectacular, is the ultimate S.T.E.A.M. endeavor.Science, technology, engineering, art and math all play a part in the "wow factor" you'll see on New Year's Day.Pam Wiedenbeck is Vice President of Float Development for nonprofit La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses: one of six community organizations, known as "self-builts",...

What if you could experience life in the Arctic, in a highly matriarchal culture?And what if, by doing so, you were learning about a unique culture which few people experience--or understand? Not to mention the ways members of that culture are adapting to a changing planet?That's exactly the opportunity provided by Found in the Fjords (http://foundinthefjords.org/), a soon-to-be-released VR game which takes players into the world of orcas--a sea creature more similar to humans than most of us...

Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023!With virtual reality, Ferryman Collective (https://www.ferrymancollective.com/) offers a whole new approach to storytelling.While they're technically a group of theatre professionals who create live-performance experiences in VR, the actual experience goes far beyond that description.When you sign up for one of their experiences, you have been "cast", as part of the story.And for audience...

Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023.This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a mental-health professional with any questions.Congratulations to SAS SOCIALDREAM (https://socialdream.fr/) President Thierry Gricourt, winner of a CES® 2024 Innovation Award! (https://www.ces.tech/innovation-awards/honorees/2024/honorees/d/dreamsens.aspx)We had the honor of talking...

Over Coffee® is on Thanksgiving hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023.The following post and podcast are not, in any way, affiliated with, nor endorsed by, NASA. (We’re just wowed by Artemis and the idea of lunar, and ultimately Mars, exploration!)"It's totally not practical, to think you're going to grow up and be an astronaut," comments U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Anne C. McClain."I mean, who does that?"But becoming an astronaut is only one of Anne's...

Can videogames overcome obstacles in education? Or have an impact on society by teaching leadership principles and other real-world skills?That's exactly what Dr. Constance Steinkuhler is exploring, through her work at UCI.Constance is Co-Director of UCI's Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Center, and Chair of the annual GLS Conference (https://glsconference.net/about/). She is also Chair of UCI’s Game Design and Interactive Media Program.Her experience with games as a vehicle for education and...