Mind Makers, Inc

Mind Makers is an unconventional educational initiative created and supported by a diverse team of engineers, artists and activists, to help expand the future of the STEM community. Under the mentorship of professional engineers, adult participants from underrepresented or unconventional backgrounds will be introduced to concepts that are key to developing technology through specially designed virtual and in-person lessons and workshops which start out assuming that the new apprentices have no prior engineering knowledge. They will apply their newly learned know-how to work in a team to build a large scale interactive exhibit to be shared with the whole community. The exhibit will take the form of an automated human head, providing a mechanized, responsive reproduction of our own biological sensory system that helps us to perceive the world around us. The exhibit will expose children and adults to two beautiful concepts. One is that magic can be made by combining STEM knowledge with mentorship. The other is that truly anyone can take part in this magic and then make more by passing it on to others. The overall process will result in a propagating wave of information sharing and encouragement between people from unexpected backgrounds, redefining what it means to be into engineering. Together, we can empower all generations with the gifts of knowledge and show that impactful people are everywhere around us.