What if you could give everyone the skills and confidence to tackle technical problems? Wouldn’t that be cool? In UW professor Beth Kolko’s experience, it’s not just cool – it’s awesome. Her Hackademia lab is a place where students from all backgrounds can come together and get their hands dirty, no experience necessary.
She’s been working with students at the University of Washington for the last 2 years, “building functional engineers one blinky LED at a time”. They’ve put together 3D printers, messed around (that’s the technical term) with Arduinos, and are embarking on an HTML5/javascript adventure. The result of all this is a group of students who are excited to change the world and credit Hackademia for their shift in perspective.
In addition to funding hardware for the Hackademia lab (which Beth has been personally supplying), our grant will also go towards a set of workshops aimed at reaching out to underengaged communities. The ideal end result? A chain reaction of enthusiasm, empowerment, and (of course) awesome projects!
“In addition to funding hardware for the Hackademia lab (which Beth has been personally supplying), our grant will also go towards a set of workshops aimed at reaching out to underengaged communities. The ideal end result? A chain reaction of enthusiasm, empowerment, and (of course) awesome projects!”
Yes! We at The Big-Brained Superheroes Club at Yesler Community Center (http://www.bigbrainedsuperheroes.org/) need some of this action. Be prepared, Hackademia.