Youth Learned About Tech Careers at ORION STEM Event
“Pi Day” Introduced High School Students to the Raspberry Pi
Above: Cully Patch, Senior Program Manager of Quanterion Solutions, and Alex MacDiarmid, VP of Quanterion Solutions, assist students with completing their Raspberry Pi project. Photo by Debra Born.
Quanterion Solutions, a technology solutions provider based in Utica, partnered with local organizations to provide a one-day workshop on Saturday, March 2 that introduced local youth to exciting careers in STEM. “Pi Day” revolved around a single board computer, the Raspberry Pi, to lay a foundation for the development of high-tech skills increasingly demanded in the workforce.
Above: A team of students collaborate on a hands-on Internet of Things project. Photo by Debra Born.
High school students representing nine local schools were introduced to Internet of Things (IoT) concepts through hands-on exercises and relatable instruction in a relaxed and friendly environment. Following a morning of interactive instruction, the students collaborated in small teams to construct a custom IoT device from scratch, prototyping a “smart” lamp using a Raspberry Pi. Parents were invited to watch the student presentations at the conclusion of the event.
“Pi Day” was sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) through ORION, the Open-Architecture, Resilient Internet of Things for Operational Networks, which is a state-of-the-art ecosystem operated by subject matter experts to facilitate the development, test, and evaluation of IoT solutions. ORION is a collaborative effort between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate, Assured Information Security (AIS), Quanterion Solutions, the Griffiss Institute, and the New York State Technology Enterprise Corporation (NYSTEC).
Above: Mike Corley, Senior Software Architect, instructs students in assembling their breadboards. Photo by Debra Born.
The event’s curriculum and instruction were planned, developed, and presented by Quanterion Solutions’ Michael Corley, Senior Software Architect. Corley designed the curriculum to help youths connect the dots between the enabling technologies while inspiring the students to pursue these topics on their own.
“Hands-on STEM activities such as Pi Day empower students by exposing them to emerging technology they can apply to a wide range of careers,” said Corley. “As instructors and mentors, it was very rewarding to experience modern technology through the students’ eyes and see our curriculum spark interest in STEM careers.”
Cully Patch, Senior Program Manager at Quanterion Solutions, led the event coordination and acted as the course’s lead mentor.
“These students are the future of our workforce – a workforce that is rapidly changing to meet growing technology demands,” said Patch. “Quanterion Solutions is proud to be a part of shaping tomorrow’s generation of engineers, scientists, and solution developers, keeping the nation at the forefront of technological innovation by inspiring our youth to pursue careers in STEM.”
Other technical experts from Quanterion Solutions as well as AFRL’s Anthony Macera, Senior Computer Engineer/Senior Program Manager at AFRL Information Directorate, were on hand to guide the students through their projects.
The next ORION event will be a professional workshop titled “IoT 101,” which will be hosted on May 8 at the Innovare Advancement Center in Rome, NY. Visit https://orionassured.com for more information on future events.
This material is based on work supported by the United States Air Force, Contract No. FA8750-19-C-0013.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Air Force.
About Quanterion Solutions Incorporated
Quanterion Solutions Incorporated, headquartered in Central New York, provides analytical services, products, and training in cybersecurity along with managed cloud services; reliability, maintainability, and quality; information-systems management; software development; information and knowledge management.
Email qinfo@quanterion.com or call toll-free at (877) 808-0097 with any questions or to explore customizable technology solutions.