Ready...Set...STEM

ReadySetSTEM is a platform that uses narratives instead of numbers to inspire students to enter into and stay in the STEM pipeline, ensuring diversity and inclusion for future generations.

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Inspiration

We are a diverse group of STEM professionals who are inspired to improve accessibility and inclusivity at NASA. We believe that to do this we need to inspire children with "Narratives Instead of Numbers". The current education system relies heavily on objective learning practices where students are taught science through an academic view of the world. We believe that under-represented groups are more inspired using subjective learning practices where stories, feelings, and real people are utilized to convey the excitement of S.T.E.M subjects.

What it does

Our product is a three-step strategy that will increase the number of children entering into the STEM pipeline using subjective teaching methodologies.

  1. Media Content: Create media content that is about "NASA" people and "NASA" story focused. Get young children inspired to work at NASA with great NASA stories told by actual people who work at NASA. Stories that allow the children to feel the passion and perseverance of NASA's past, and inspire them to work at NASA in the future. The storyteller will also tell us how they ended up at NASA.
  2. Educational Platforms: Engage, Educate, Inspire. An educational platform that engages children with fun interactive educational games that also inspire them to pursue a career in STEM. The goal of each game is to lead children to a person in that domain (where the employee went to school, what degree they attained and what they do at NASA)
  3. Community Outreach: Create a webpage and database directing underrepresented youths to STEM community outreach programs and camps and NASA mentor programs.

How we built it

We created a minimal product website in HTML. On that website, we created a gaming platform that steers children from a game with a NASA-related theme to a video of a NASA employee who is a subject matter expert of the theme of the game. We created original content in the form of video interviews, featuring NASA employees, featuring where they went to school, what they do at NASA, and what story motivated them to work at NASA.

Challenges we ran into

We created an interactive website within a short period of time. There was also not enough time to edit videos.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We created an inspiring PITCH Deck detailing our innovative approach to improve accessibility and inclusivity at NASA, and a minimum viable product to demonstrate our vision.

What we learned

We learned how to utilize the strengths of each member of our group to identify the problem and find an innovative solution. we learned to implement an entrepreneurial strategy to solve a problem and establish workflows to tap into each member's strengths.

What's next for Ready...Set...STEM

  1. Build out our website, with more features.
  2. Improve the media content, with historical footage and possibly animations, to truly convey the storytelling aspect.
  3. Link with NASA's community outreach to include all programs available to underrepresented communities.
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