Ford STEAM Lab Challenges Students, Rewards High-Tech Thinking and Creativity During Hackathon
March 30 2015 - 8:03AM
Business Wire
- Ford STEAM Lab hosted a hackathon for
100 middle school students to introduce them to software
development and skills needed to be high tech entrepreneurs
- Students from Patrick Henry Middle
School in Woodhaven, Mich., took top honors, winning $15,000 for
their school and $12,500 in scholarships
- Ford and UAW extended to all student
participants the opportunity to continue their coding education at
a week-long Henry Ford College summer camp
Given the chance to be software designers, 100 middle school
students at the Ford STEAM Lab Hackathon invented a range of mobile
applications to make learning easier, from catching up on missed
assignments, to studying math and music through gaming – all the
while earning $42,500 in awards and scholarships.
The two-day event that wrapped up Saturday challenged students
from five middle schools in the Detroit metropolitan area to learn
the basics of software coding, and then produce, or “hack” an
application to help them in school.
“This event was designed to give students a voice in their
education while learning software coding skills needed to be
technology entrepreneurs,” said Shawn Wilson, manager,
Multicultural Community Engagement, Ford Motor Company Fund. “What
students taught us is just as valuable -- utilize existing
technology, develop flexible schedules so they can continue
learning on their own time, and improve ways to communicate outside
the classroom.”
Ford is joining with the United Auto Workers union to enable all
students who participated in the Hackathon to attend free of charge
a summer software coding class offered by Henry Ford College. The
one-week long course will be held at the school’s Dearborn campus.
During the class, students will build their own Android apps from
scratch and experience how they are placed on the Google Play
market.
Participating schools and the Hackathon results are:
- First Place – Patrick Henry Middle
School, Woodhaven, Mich.
- App: Second
School. What it does: Allows students, parents, and teachers
access to students' curriculum away from the classroom, ability to
track their school progress in real time, and one-to-one
communication between parents and teachers.
- Winnings: $15,000 for the school and
$2,500 scholarships to each of the five team members to continue
their education after high school.
- Second Place – Clippert Academy,
Detroit.
- App: Bookctionary. What it does: A mobile reading
assistance application focused on interactive reading comprehension
through quizzes, audio assistance, and eBook downloads.
- Winnings: $7,500 for the school.
- Third Place – Simpson Middle
School, Flat Rock, Mich.
- App: Stems Root
Builder. What it does: A learning application focused on
keeping students up to date with their course work when they are
out of school.
- Winnings: $5,000 for the school.
- Fourth Place – Fisher Upper,
Detroit
- App: Exstatic. What it does: An app that combines
learning music and math together through a gaming and creative
platform.
- Winnings: $2,500 for the school.
The event occurred at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center in
Detroit, where it was part of a live broadcast by MSNBC as part of
its Growing Hope series. After learning coding skills on the first
day, student ideas were judged by a panel that included Van Jones,
#YesWeCode founder, and environmental and civil rights advocate;
Stephen Henderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Editorial Page Editor of
the Detroit Free Press and co-host of Detroit Today on WDET; and
Joy Reid, national correspondent, MSNBC.
Students also heard from Big Sean, a Detroit native who has
become a multiplatinum winning musician and founder of the Sean
Anderson Foundation. Big Sean took a break from his tour in Japan
to speak via Skype about the importance of technology and the role
of the Internet in future jobs. “I can honestly say the Internet
really helped me become the artist that I am today,” he said.
Ford STEAM Lab, an educational program from the Ford Motor
Company Fund, works to spark student passion for technology
entrepreneurship and careers in science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM). To produce the hackathon Ford collaborated
with:
- #YesWeCode, an Oakland,
Calif.-based organization that targets low-opportunity youth and
provides them with the necessary resources and tools to become
world-class computer programmers.
- Level Playing Field Institute,
an educational organization based in Oakland, Calif., committed to
eliminating the barriers faced by underrepresented people of color
in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
- Sisters Code, a Detroit
organization dedicated to helping women succeed in STEM-related
fields.
- Grand Circus, a company based in
Detroit that provides training and other skills necessary to work
in technology companies.
- National Dropout Prevention
Center/Network, a national organization that works on
strategies to increase the graduation rate in America's
schools.
Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor
Company, invests more than $8 million a year in scholarships and
other education initiatives. In addition to the Ford STEAM Lab,
Ford Fund educational programs include Ford Blue Oval Scholars,
Ford Next Generation Learning, Ford College Community Challenge and
Ford Driving Dreams Tour.
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with
community and global partners to advance driving safety, education
and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more
than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford
Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety
training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while
addressing inexperience, distractions and impaired driving.
Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval
Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning and other inspiring
programs that enhance high school learning and provide college
scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps
enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to
work on local projects that strengthen their communities and
improve people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world.
For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Ford Motor Company FundTodd Nissen,
313-322-4898tnissen@ford.comorCampbell Marketing and
CommunicationsMelissa Bunker,
586-219-0094mbunker@campbellmarketing.comorN’Touch
CommunicationsLisa Wilmore,
313-980-4766Lisa.wilmore@comcast.net
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