Nearly 80 middle school students discovered on a recent Wednesday in May that the distance between the classroom and a launchpad is shorter than they thought.

The Brandywine LaunchBox hosted its annual Youth Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) and Startup Day on May 14 at Penn State Brandywine in Media.

The event drew students from Chester Charter Scholars Academy, Haverford Middle School, Radnor Middle School, and Upper Merion Middle School for a full day of hands-on workshops in physics, robotics, engineering, and entrepreneurship.

By the end of the day, students had wired circuits, written Arduino code, explored climate science, and heard from a Philadelphia radio pioneer.

Learning by Doing

Four Penn State Brandywine faculty members worked with engineers from CTDI, a full-service global engineering company, to lead workshops designed to make complex concepts feel immediate and real.

• Megann Hedgecock, a lecturer in engineering, guided students through a prototyping workshop.
• Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics Shruti Shrestha led a conductivity workshop.
• Distinguished Professor of Earth Science Laura Guertin explored changes in the ocean and climate.
• Associate Teaching Professor of Mathematics Marina Skyers introduced students to the mathematics of probability.

The most technically demanding session came from CTDI, whose engineers walked students through an Arduino coding workshop in which they programmed motors and light-emitting diodes to blink, pulse, and respond to their commands,  giving the students a direct experience of the same tools used in professional engineering environments.

Entrepreneurship Takes Center Stage

Kevin Sutton, founder and CEO of 11:22 MMG, led a workshop on what it means for today’s youth to pursue their dreams.

“The students were engaged, curious, motivated, and full of ideas,” Sutton said. “You could feel the excitement every time we talked about entrepreneurship, creativity, and turning dreams into action. After leaving that room, I truly believe the next generation of business owners, innovators, and leaders was sitting right in front of me.”

The students were also brought to their feet by Tina Dunham, known professionally as DJ Diamond Kuts and recognized as the first woman to hold a mix-show slot on Philadelphia radio.

Built on Partnership

Tony Mattei, director of entrepreneurship and digital marketing at the Brandywine LaunchBox, credited the event’s success to the consistency of the school counselors and teachers, and to the partnerships that make the programming possible.

“Our middle school counselors and teachers year after year come through to bring their brightest students to our annual event,” Mattei said. “The students are highly engaged in Brandywine faculty workshops, and our partnership with CTDI delivered an engineering workshop that was a huge success.”

The Youth STEAM and Startup Day was sponsored by The Meridian Fund and the Halliday Properties Youth Programs Grant, support that allowed the LaunchBox to offer the full-day experience at no cost to participating schools.