Spark

Last week PopTech, always a place for interesting innovators and exploding-the-box thinkers, launched Spark to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) among young people. Spark and its Facebook companion site are home to interactive content, videos, fun STEM activities and local event information all meant to encourage young people to explore how they can change the world through careers in math and science. PopTech chose five diverse STEM innovators to help demonstrate the exciting possibilities in the field through videos and activities. The innovators include:

• Katie Salen is a game designer, professor at Parsons the New School for Design, and executive director at Institute of Play, which uses games to promote learning, innovation and change. 
• Award-winning digital artist Zach Lieberman created a toolkit called OpenFrameworks, which helps enable creative computer coding.  
• Entrepreneur, researcher and science education advocate Hayat Sindi founded Diagnostics for All, a biotech nonprofit that develops diagnostic devices for the developing world.  
• Named one of Time magazine's "Time 100" most influential people this year, Will Allen runs Growing Power, a sustainable urban farming initiative that helps people gain access to affordable, healthy food with training, outreach and assistance.
• Marine Biologist Tierney Thys has been studying the giant ocean sunfish for the last decade. She was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2004 and has served as an adviser for media initiatives to increase understanding of ocean conservation and research initiatives. 

Since Millennials are prone to working outside of hierarchy and tend to want to get get their hands dirty, PopTech wisely decided not to limit Spark to a resource where young people could draw information from experts. In an effort to fully integrate the Millennial perspective in the initiative, PopTech tapped four impressive Millennial social citizens to serve as Spark Connectors. These youth ambassadors are leaders in their schools and communities and also have an interest in pursuing degrees and careers in STEM subjects. Each of them attended the PopTech conference last week where they spent time with the innovators, and they shared their experiences through blog posts and videos posted on the Spark site. They will continue to use social media to engage their peers in STEM subjects and activities throughout the year as they participate in additional events with the innovators.

About the Spark Connectors:

• Anthony Morris is a senior at Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School, where he is the captain of the basketball team and a peer leader in a program called College Corner, which helps other students with college admissions. After high school, he is interested in exploring dentistry or technical engineering.
• Keziah Green is also a senior at Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School. She is interested in studying psychology and human behavior and thinks of herself as a trendsetter.
• Molly White, a senior at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, Maine, is considering studying electrical or computer engineering next year in college. She is involved in the arts program at her school, where she works on stage lighting design for the club's production.
• Sarina Chawla is a senior at Appleton East High School and Tesla Engineering Charter School is active in the robotics and debate clubs. She loves talking to people and hopes to be a patent lawyer.

We're looking forward to seeing what these young social citizens will share this year.