Join the ExCITe Center at Drexel and the Learning Innovation Network as we welcome Dr. Melina Uncapher, an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Neurology. Melina is a neuroscientist with 15 yrs of experience at the forefront of learning and memory research, with a focus on understanding how attention affects learning and memory. She also serves as the Director of the Education Program at Neuroscape which uses educational neuroscience to investigate how students learn in the classroom. Melina also co-founded and is CEO of a science-for-good nonprofit that arms educators and students with practical tools based on the science of learning scienceforgood.org.

Learn more about the Learning Innovation Conversation Series and see videos of previous speakers John Maeda, Mimi Ito, Leah Buechley, and Katrina Stevens at www.drexel.edu/learninginnovation.

Join the ExCITe Center at Drexel and the Learning Innovation Network as we welcome Chris Emdin, Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University; where he also serves as Director of Science Education at the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education. He is also the Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is an alumni fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, and currently serves as Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy and the STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State.

Register here.

Learn more about the Learning Innovation Conversation Series and see videos of previous speakers John Maeda, Mimi Ito and Leah Buechley here.

Join the ExCITe Center at Drexel and the Learning Innovation Network as we welcome Katrina Stevens, an innovator in education technology with over 20 years experience as a teacher and administrator. Stevens most recently served as a Senior Advisor at the US Department of Education, in the Office of Educational Technology in the Obama Administration. She previously served as EdSurge’s director of edtech Summits. Katrina has a long history of building education programs and has been a key player in Baltimore’s emerging education technology ecosystem. She has been an educational consultant, journalist and also worked in the district offices of Baltimore County Public Schools, as well as the co-founder of an edtech company in 2010.

Learn more about the Learning Innovation Conversation Series and see videos of previous speakers John Maeda, Mimi Ito and Leah Buechley at www.drexel.edu/learninginnovation.

August 4th, 1pm in the ExCITe Center is our showcase for our signature STEAM program - Summer Music Technology. In its 11th year, this week-long free program targeting local high school students, utilizes music to introduce and advance students interest into the science, engineering, and technology involved in digital music. During the week the students pursue individual projects ranging from creating custom controllers for synthesizers to building mechanical musical instruments with K’nex and Arduinos and much more. The showcase is a mixture of both project demos and musical performances.

Leah Buechley is a designer, engineer, and educator whose work explores intersections and juxtapositions–of “high” and “low” technologies, new and ancient materials, and masculine and feminine making traditions. Her inventions include the LilyPad Arduino toolkit. From 2009-2014, she was a professor at the MIT Media Lab where she founded and directed the High-Low Tech group. Her work has been exhibited internationally in venues including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Ars Electronica Festival, and the Exploratorium, and has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Popular Science, and Wired. Leah received a PhD in computer science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BA in physics from Skidmore College. At both institutions she also studied dance, theater, fine art, and design.

The conversation will be moderated by Youngmoo Kim, Director of the ExCITe Center and will include opportunity for audience questions/discussion. A reception with light refreshments will follow at 7:30pm.

Register here. 

Since our opening in 2013, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Design, and Mathematics) has been at the foundation of our efforts to inspire transdisciplinary research and discovery connecting technology and communities. We believe the framework of STEAM offers the greatest potential for advancing learning at all levels. But at ExCITe, STEAM is more than education. It’s the belief that the creativity and “maker” spirit that is common to both the Arts & Design and the STEM fields provides a relentless source of inspiration and innovation. Most importantly, the convening of diverse perspectives spanning STEM and the Arts offers unique opportunities to share ideas, form new connections, and sow the seeds of transformation. 

Maeda is currently Global Head, Computational Design and Inclusion at Automattic (the maker of Wordpress) and formerly President of the Rhode Island School of Design, Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins, and Professor at the MIT Media Lab.