Summary of Tesla Truck: A Mobile-Maker Space for the Masses!
We built programs helping NYC middle and high school students turn abstract STEM concepts into hands-on projects—robots, quadcopters, water purifiers, hovercrafts—so they can interact with and retain learning. Noting widespread budget cuts and resource gaps, we propose a mobile maker space (Tesla Truck) to bring scalable, sustained hands-on learning to underserved schools and communities.
Parts used in the Tesla Truck Project:
- Robotics kits
- Quadcopter components
- Water purifier materials
- Hovercraft parts
- Electronics for circuits (e.g., capacitors, wires)
- Computing devices for instruction
- Tools for fabrication and assembly
- Mobile vehicle outfitting equipment (truck modifications)
Hey Indigogo-
We’re a group of engineers, educators, and published researchers. Over the last year, we’ve helped high schoolers and middle schoolers in New York City bring to life previously abstract concepts like algebra, capacitance in a circuit, and gravity. We wanted them to take this abstract material and turn it into something that they could interact with and form lasting attitudes about. We did this by helping them apply what they had learned to build projects like robots, quadcopters, water purifiers, hovercrafts, and more.
However, we quickly realized that in a world being propelled by technology and engineering, a lot of schools and communities across the country lacked the necessary resources to keep up.
With budget cuts and dwindling space and resources becoming common place, achieving a means of sustaining hands-on learning and making are harder and harder to come by.
For more detail: Tesla Truck: A Mobile-Maker Space for the Masses!
- What is the Tesla Truck project?
It is a proposed mobile maker space to bring hands-on STEM learning to schools and communities lacking resources. - Who organized the initial programs?
A group of engineers, educators, and published researchers organized the programs. - What age groups benefited from the programs?
Middle schoolers and high schoolers in New York City benefited from the programs. - What kinds of projects did students build?
Students built robots, quadcopters, water purifiers, hovercrafts, and similar hands-on projects. - Why is a mobile maker space needed?
Because budget cuts and dwindling space and resources make sustaining hands-on learning difficult in many schools and communities. - What educational goals did the program aim to achieve?
To turn abstract STEM concepts into interactive projects so students can form lasting attitudes and better retain learning. - Can the Tesla Truck help underserved communities?
Yes; it is intended to bring scalable, sustained hands-on learning to underserved schools and communities.
