Youth Innovation Summit
Triangle Uplift Foundation will partner with the Triangle MLK Committee to bring area families, corporate partners, and community organizations together to explore innovative ideas at our annual Youth Innovation Summit. The summit will be held at Cary Academy, 1500 N Harrison Ave, Cary, NC, on Saturday, January 11, 2020. The event will provide 5th-12th grade students with hands-on activities to explore how art and creativity work hand in hand with the sciences, technology, mathematics, and computer science to create change in our society. The event will feature a collaborative environment to ignite students’ interests and understanding of pathways to a successful future in S.T.E.A.M.-related fields.
Students will hear from local and nationally recognized speakers and engage in a variety of hands on workshops and participatory activities. Examples include: Drone Aviation, Robotics, Solar Car, Coding, Gaming, Beats Making, Forensics, Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, and TV/Film production. There will also be innovation immersion sessions for parents to equip them with tools to help inspire, support, and develop their students’ interest in S.T.E.A.M. learning.
Scholarship opportunities are available for student attendees. Information will be provided upon registration.
Keynote Speaker Announced
Justin Shaifer
Executive Director of Fascinate Inc. & STEM Advocate
Justin is a passionate STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Education specialist and is the Executive Director of Fascinate Inc., an organization created to excite underrepresented students about STEM. He travels the country presenting to students and educators about STEM. He creates and implements culturally responsive STEM content into education institutions.
He is known for his TEDx Talk – How to Speak Generation Z, for his work on the Magic Cool Bus Project and for Hood Science – the Animated Series. Past partners of his organization include Microsoft, Google, MIT Media Lab, and the Children’s Aid Society. He is studying these programs’ effects as a PhD student at Columbia University.