Stem In The Rockaways Unlocks Kids’ Love For Science And Technology

By Kami-Leigh Agard

“School is out, STEM is in,” was the theme at STEM In The Rockaways’ (STIR) two-day bootcamp for youth held last Wednesday, April 16 and Thursday, April 17 at the French Speaking Baptist Church in Far Rockaway. From 3D printing, coding, robotics and troubleshooting engineering challenges, students of all ages got to see how they are not just inextricably linked to the evolution of tech, but the jobs of tomorrow.

Born-and-bred Far Rockaway resident Ralph Louis founded STIR in 2023. He boasts that he was born at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital and grew up in the Redfern Houses. And with working in information technology (IT) for the NYC Department of Education (DOE) for over 18 years, he has seen firsthand how technology has come to the forefront of education, not just for students, but also teachers.

He shared, “I work in IT at a DOE junior high school. Teachers would often come to me and ask about creating a game plan of what technology they should use in their classrooms.

“Prior to COVID, we had teachers using Google Classroom for small class segments. So, when COVID came along, it was a very easy switch, and I gave everybody the confidence. I’m like, ‘Guys, you are already doing this stuff. Just go home, open your computer, and go into your Google Classroom.’ We had to spin up a whole bunch of Google Classrooms for the kids and teachers to get in there. And then teachers were asking about different apps they can use to keep their students engaged. Over my 18 years in the DOE, I’ve seen the landscape change a lot and drastically.”

And with the intermarriage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and the jobs of tomorrow, Louis’ mantra to his STIR students and families is: “We’re trying to prepare you guys for jobs that don’t exist yet.”

Louis said, “Ten years ago, the landscape was completely different. So, going forward, like with Moore’s Law, which is a computer science term that broken down means: for the capacity that we have right now, new technology industries are just going to keep increasing exponentially. And I want these kids to be readily available to have at least 15% of that knowledge, and then lead the way. At the bootcamp, we had kids using 3D computer-animated design software, and they loved it.

“I told my students that there are industries that might reach out to a 3D printer company to print hospital machine parts. And the fact that they’re learning this at such a young age is a skill they can take with them who knows where. Who knows what 3D printing is going to look like in the future?”

Moore’s Law is named after Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, and former CEO of the latter, whose predictions have been used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning and set targets for research and development (R&D), advancements in digital electronics, the increase in memory capacity (RAM and flash), the improvement of sensors, and even the size of pixels in digital cameras, are strongly linked to Moore’s law. These ongoing changes in digital electronics have been a driving force of technological and social change, productivity, and economic growth.

Louis raved about Moore’s Law and referenced how USB flash drives have evolved since their first commercial introduction in the early 2000s. “The USB flash drive is a good example of Moore’s law that everybody could identify with because the storage for a $300 flash drive in the past was 128-gigabytes, and now I have a $20 flash drive on my desk that has the same storage. So, the rate of technology is expanding and increasing, and we just have to grab a hold of it somewhere along the way, and get our kids ready,” he said.

Louis’ first STEM In The Rockaways’ three-day bootcamp was during this year’s school winter break with just 18 students at the Bayswater Jewish Center. And last week’s “School is out, STEM is in” two-day bootcamp doubled in the number of students who attended, from kindergarten- to high school-age.

At last week’s event, students got to create their own augmented reality sandbox, learn coding, discover robotics and even make their own paper circuits with copper tape, a battery and LED lights. Some kids even went the extra mile and drew pictures, and placed the lights, so for example, their hand-drawn robot had a lighted smile.

As for seven-year-old Joseph Edwards, a student at Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter School, his favorite activity was the Sphero robot ball with programmable sensors and LED lights that could be controlled with a laptop. “I had so much fun with the Sphero ball and learning how to make a paper circuit. I learned a lot!” Edwards raved.

His mom, Belinda Edwards, shared that Joseph also attended the winter break bootcamp, and was amazed at what she saw the students learning. “Joseph likes doing hands-on activities, and he’s creative with Legos and being interactive. So, I felt this STEM program would bring that out more in him. STEM exposes them to all these different technologies and engineering, and they group it into different activities. Joseph is a critical thinker, and I was happy to see how much he got out of the program. Plus, they get activities to work on at home,” she said.

STIR founder Louis is a busy father of four, holding down a full-time IT job at the DOE. However, STIR is a passion, and he hopes to see his 501(c)3 nonprofit expand into hosting a science fair and bootcamp this summer, and even an after-school program. In May, there are plans to host another bootcamp at Phipps Houses in Far Rockaway. And Louis wants all of Rockaway to experience the fruits of STEM In The Rockaways. And like with many nonprofits, funding is key.

Louis said, “We have other camps reaching out for us to do something with their kids. We’re not there yet because we don’t have a set location.

“I just need full time staff. I do this during my off hours, and sometimes I go to sleep late. It’s just a delicate balance between getting this program up and running, and making things happen.

“We want to do something all throughout the peninsula, in the 50s, 90s, 100s and the upper 100s. We’re trying to work our way through the peninsula. We’re going to reach out to community centers, and get folks interested in science, including the homeschool and autism community. One of our students is autistic, and he’s completely hands-on and engaged. Five, ten years from now, I just need one kid to come to me and say, ‘You know what Mr. Louis? Because of your program, I’m an xyz professional. I just need one kid,” Louis said.

For more info about STEM In The Rockaways, visit: www.stemintherockaways.org or STEM In The Rockaways on Facebook/Instagram.