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The Future of Personalized STEM Learning

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Discover how ChatGPT is revolutionizing the way we learn STEM subjects.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, there’s a very high chance that you have heard of ChatGPT in some shape or form.

ChatGPT is taking the world by storm and has been widely discussed about across multiple industries and disciplines. The world of STEM education is no exception. As STEM educators, we are ecstatic about being able to utilize artificial intelligence to help students succeed in STEM. Contrary to some opposing voices on this subject, we believe it’s a great tool to assist in teaching and sparking curiosities in young minds.

Say goodbye to traditional, boring STEM lessons, and hello to ChatGPT’s engaging approach to education.

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But first… What is ChatGPT?

To put it simply, ChatGPT is a chatbot. It’s an advanced language model developed by an American artificial intelligence research laboratory, OpenAI. It is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that is trained on large amounts of text data to generate human-like responses to questions and prompts.

ChatGPT uses a deep learning technique called Transformer, which allows it to understand the context of a conversation and respond in a meaningful way. The model has been trained on a massive dataset that includes a wide range of topics and styles, enabling it to generate text that is both informative and conversational.

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The winning point about ChatGPT in our opinion is definitely its ability to respond in natural human-like conversations. This is especially helpful in education because it helps to summarize and generate information for various topics in a very informative, conversational, and easy-to-understand way.

To put it simply, think “Google” but with summarized information.

Sounds pretty amazing, right?

How will ChatGPT impact STEM education?

With the rising popularity of ChatGPT, many schools and educators are raising concerns over plagiarism and cheating on homework. Some schools are even going as far as banning it altogether. However, there are far more benefits of using ChatGPT as a companion tool to education than the risks it might bring.

First of all, ChatGPT encourages curiosity. Students can ask questions and receive engaging information on various topics that will help to spark interests. It’s also a great tool to provide personalized learning because it can engage in conversation with students and provide personalized responses based on their questions. This will allow students opportunities to interact with various topics they are interested in and be able to explore the subject further in a personalized experience.

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Secondly, ChatGPT is an amazing advancement in technology because it greatly improves the accessibility of information. It’s easy to simply Google on a certain subject but it’s hard to be able to compile all the information out there. ChatGPT has the ability to make this information easier for students to access and learn.

Lastly, combining all the benefits of ChatGPT mentioned previously, we see ChatGPT as an amazing tool to supplement STEM learning. It can help students reinforce concepts learned in class and further encourage their curiosity.

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ChatGPT sounds amazing! Are there any limitations?

As with all types of learning tools, ChatGPT is a tool that will greatly benefit students when it’s being used properly.

The most important thing to remember is that ChatGPT should not replace traditional methods of teaching. While it can provide access to information and respond in a human-like way, it will not be able to help students develop important skills such as critical thinking and problem solving skills. Those skills are some of the most important skills that comes with STEM learning and are developed through human interaction and direct instruction.

(Read more: How can STEM Competitions Help Develop Problem Solving Skills?, Top 5 Reasons for Learning STEM)

Additionally, as with exploring topics through Google, the information on ChatGPT will need to be vetted and verified for accuracy.

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Rather than trying to ban or go against a new piece of technology, we should switch our mindset to thinking about ways in which we can take advantage of its capabilities to gain new grounds.

(Also, for the teachers and schools who are thinking of banning ChatGPT — the quick answer is no — you cannot ban it because you cannot control students’ access to their own networks.)

We envision a future where teachers and students will be able to embrace AI to supplement education. ChatGPT is a great tool that will be able to elevate STEM learning experience of students as long as it’s used properly. Human instruction in conjunction with machine learning will help students achieve a new state of high-quality STEM education.

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Let us become your partner in STEM education!

At Wiz Robotics, our STEM classes offer exciting and engaging opportunities for students to practice problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Try a demo class and see for yourself!

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Cost vs. Benefit of STEM Education

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Hey parents! Let’s talk some numbers behind STEM education.

Everybody is “STEM-ing” these days. Coupled with the announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Education earlier this year, STEM education is no longer a topic that can be ignored.

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So what is STEM again?

It’s short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It is a merger of subjects with the goal of developing technical and critical thinking skills for modern learners.

At Wiz , we are passionate about STEM education and we can’t stress enough the importance of learning STEM for the younger generation. As we had written about previously in our blog, STEM education is a global endeavour to help children and youths to prepare for the future of STEM. Governments worldwide are looking for ways to help students build the solid foundation they need for the future.

Pictured above: Wiz Robotics class

Why should students learn STEM?

Problem solving is one of the most important skills for children’s development. It’s also one of the most essential skills used in STEM education. Students are encouraged to learn the required knowledge as well as think outside of the box to solve different challenges and problems. It’s an extremely valuable way for students to develop the problem solving skills that are critical to their future successes.

Read more about building problem solving skills in STEM competitions.

STEM also teaches transferable skills that students can use throughout their lives. Critical thinking, being innovative, as well as project management skills are just some of the examples that students will be able to pick up during their STEM journey.

Read our previous blog posts to find out how Wiz programs can help develop these skills:

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So now we know all the benefits of STEM, let’s talk some numbers.

STEM careers continue to be some of the fastest growing occupations in the US and Canada. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting the number of jobs in STEM fields to grow by nearly 10% between 2019 and 2029. That’s twice the rate of growth for all other occupations!

According to the 2016 census by Statistics Canada, the average income of a STEM graduate is more than $15,000 higher than graduates of non-STEM fields. It’s a similar situation in the United States. The median salary for STEM occupations was $98,340 in 2020, with computer and information systems managers earning an average of $161,70 per year.

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STEM careers have a bright outlook. But how much does it cost?

First and foremost, cost can be a barrier to STEM education. According to a recent UScellular survey, almost half of students surveyed agree that pursuing a path in a STEM-related field would be too costly or too difficult.

Some of these costs include:

  • Obtaining a university degree in STEM — Bachelor’s degrees can cost anywhere between $50,000 and $130,000 in tuition for a four-year program.
  • Extracurricular STEM programs and classes — Generally speaking, these STEM programs and classes outside of school starts at around $300+ for a set of sessions. Additional costs also apply when you consider camps to continuously pursue STEM even during the summer holidays.
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Don’t fret — there are many resources out there to support children’s interests in STEM!

STEM education doesn’t have to come with a massive price tag. There are many ways to engage with children on their interests and get them to practice STEM skills on a daily basis.

For example, we had outlined five ways that you can incorporate STEM everyday in a previous blog post. These methods will help you continue the conversation at home with your children on STEM through daily activities and discussions.

Additionally, there should be local resources in your city that are free or low cost for the whole family to enjoy STEM. The local public library is a great place to start. For those in the Toronto area, the Toronto Public Library is a treasure chest full of resources and programs for free. If the library doesn’t have the STEM information you need, you can always pay a visit to the Ontario Science Centre in person or access their virtual resources.

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Don’t forget about STEM competitions!

Did you know that some STEM competitions are very affordable to participate in and can also be done virtually! STEM competition are a great opportunities for children to develop STEM skills while having fun.

Take our Wiz Summer Innovators Competition for example, participants were given challenges to complete while playing Roblox. What’s better than playing games and learning STEM along the way?

Pictured above: Previous WSI Winner

Ready to take on the next level of STEM learning?

At Wiz Robotics, our STEM classes offer exciting and engaging opportunities for students to practice problem solving.

Try a demo class and see for yourself!

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STEM in the Curriculum: 5 Reasons Why It’s Important

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To STEM or not to STEM, that is no longer the question. Earlier in the year, the Ontario Ministry of Education officially announced the addition of coding into the curriculum. Find out more…

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If you are a parent or teacher in the province of Ontario, you might have already heard the news from earlier in the year from the Ministry of Education that the updated science curriculum will teach students concepts that will be relevant to real-life experiences. The changes have already taken effect for the current school year.

The major changes to the curriculum include:

  • Mandatory learning of coding from Grades 1 to 9.
  • Connecting STEM learning to real world issues.
  • Learning about emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
  • Mandatory learning for Grades 4 to 9 of skilled trades and the exciting career opportunities that come with advancements in science and technology.
  • Learnings related to food literacy and the scientific processes that goes behind food productions.

Read more about the changes here.

The Global Need for STEM

STEM is continuing to be a hot topic worldwide. STEM education is a global endeavour to help children and youths to prepare for the future of STEM. To STEM or not to STEM, that is no longer the question. Governments worldwide are looking for ways to help students build the solid foundation they need for the future.

In this blog, we explore the 5 reasons why building STEM into the education curriculum is important.

1. Significant gap between the demand for STEM careers vs. lack of opportunities for students in school

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in STEM occupations has grown 79% in the past three decades. Additionally, STEM jobs are projected to grow an additional 11% from 2020 to 2030.

However despite the promising growth of STEM careers, there’s been a lack of opportunity to learn and be inspired in STEM for students. During a Harvard-sponsored talk “New Pathways to STEM”, Bridget Long, the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education pointed out that:

“Only 20 percent of high school graduates are prepared for college-level coursework in STEM majors… fewer than half of high schools in the United States even offer computer science classes. So that begs the question — are kids going to be ready to meet the evolving and growing landscape of STEM professions?”

Source: The Harvard Gazette

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2. STEM education teaches students important transferable skills

As we mentioned in one of our previous articles, we showed that STEM will help develop problem solving skills.

STEM also teaches important critical thinking skills, encourages innovation, and also practices project management skills amongst students.

Read our previous blog posts to find out how Wiz programs can help develop these skills:

3. Science literacy is critical for students to develop

Science literacy is the ability to understand basic key scientific concepts and processes, and to use this knowledge to make more informed personal decisions and to better engage with society.

Source: University of Toronto

Science literacy is important because it sets up a framework for individuals to make decisions based on facts and research, and not opinions and hearsay. There are a ton of information online. Being able to question, evaluate, and understand information is especially important for youths as they navigate online information and make better decisions.

STEM education will be able to help develop science literacy amongst youths.

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4. STEM education encourages hands-on learning

In STEM education, students are always encouraged to apply their learnings to practice almost immediately. Hands-on learning will be able to boost students interest and enthusiasm for the subject.

Take the Design and Manufacturing class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for example, the entire course consists of building a robot and competing with each other. Read more about it here.

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5. It gets students to think creatively about how to use STEM to solve the world’s most pressing issues.

One of the major changes to the Ontario science curriculum was the addition of food literacy learnings and we are super excited about that it’s being included.

In all countries today, there are still many issues that need to be addressed including climate change, environmental issues, growing cities & its populations. Teaching STEM is helpful to get youths to think about how to address these issues through innovation and creativity. This is why we mark days such as the World Engineering Day to raise awareness on how engineering and technology are central to modern life and crucial for sustainable development.

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Not sure where to start with incorporating STEM into your curriculum? We are here to support you!

At Wiz Robotics, we have exciting STEM learning programs to help you get started with STEM education. Our programs offer exciting and engaging hands-on opportunities for students to be equipped with the knowledge they need to succeed.

Try a demo class and see for yourself!

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5 Ways to Incorporate STEM Everyday

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With the new school year in full swing, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks for you and your child to incorporate STEM into everyday activities.

STEM continues to be a hot topic in academic curriculums. At Wiz Robotics, we can’t stress enough the importance of learning STEM for the younger generation (as you can see from our previous blog articles here and here).

With the new school year in full swing, there’s no reason to stop learning about STEM outside of the classroom. You might not have realized it already but STEM touches on almost every aspect of our lives! We’ve compiled a few tips for you and your child to incorporate STEM into everyday activities.

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Here are the 5 ways to incorporate STEM everyday!

1. Build enthusiasm for STEM through Marvel superheroes.

YES you read that right! Marvel universe superheroes have a direct connection to STEM. From Ironman to the Hulk, the key component driving most of the heroes is a solid foundation in STEM.

When asked about the characters from Infinity War and the connection to STEM, the directors of Infinity War, Anthony and Joe Russo commented:

“Their fluency in science and technology is a big part of their super power, if not their entire super power in some cases,” Anthony says. “That’s a core part of their identity and who they are.”

Source: STEM saves the world

The next time you are watching the Marvel movies during family movie night, help build enthusiasm for STEM by talking about the super heroes and their super powers!

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2. Incorporate STEM through household activities such as baking and cleaning

STEM is all around us even in activities such as baking and cleaning. If you love to bake with your children, this would be a great opportunity to get them practice addition and subtraction (as well as converting different measurement units)! Additionally, through observing the different reactions of ingredients being combined together in the process of baking, you can introduce the very interesting (and delicious) subject of food science.

Are you wondering what you can do with a background in food science? Read about being an Ice Cream Specialist in our previous article.

Cleaning is another day-to-day activity for your children to learn about STEM. You can introduce the various chemical reactions that would happen when certain cleaning products are applied to various stains and grease around the house.

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3. Encourage curiosity and observation

Children are naturally curious about the world around them. Use this as an opportunity to teach them about STEM. If you don’t know the answer, build a framework with your children to encourage research and observation so you can find the answer together.

Observation is also an important process in science. Always support your children in observing the world and encourage them to share what they observe in their environment. For example, looking at the way that leaves change colour, new blooms taking place around the garden, and the change of seasons are all great starting points to introduce STEM.

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4. Talk about STEM’s role in addressing some of the biggest challenges facing our world

STEM plays an important role in helping to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges from pollution, to climate change, to food shortages.

For example, STEM in agriculture helps us generate more produce with less effort. This is especially important in areas facing food shortages due to environmental factors and lack of funds.

By introducing and discussing these issues with your children, it encourages them to think about STEM and get them excited about the ways that STEM can save the world.

Source: STEM Beyond the School: Its Role in Everyday Life

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5. Get crafty and create STEM projects out of everyday objects

There are a lot of resources out there online that you can create with your children at home (and doesn’t involve spending a fortune on at-home robotics kits).

We’ve came across a few websites with lots of ideas and projects that you could build together with your children:

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Do you have any tips and tricks that you would like to share?

Let us know!

Ready to take on the next level of STEM learning?

At Wiz Robotics, our STEM classes offer exciting and engaging opportunities for students to practice problem solving.

Try a demo class and see for yourself!

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How can STEM Competitions Help Develop Problem Solving Skills?

Problem solving is one of the most important skills for children’s development. It’s also one of the most essential skills used in STEM education. In today’s blog, we explore this topic through the most recently concluded Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition.

If you have been following our 2022 Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition lately, you might have noticed that we have recently announced the top two submissions that caught our judges’ eyes!

Introducing…

Mary

Pictured above: Mary’s Wiz Prodigy Space Rover

… and Roneet!

Pictured above: Roneet’s Wiz Prodigy Space Rover

Head to our Instagram to view Mary and Roneet’s space rovers in action!

Our judges were impressed by all of the submissions. However Mary and Roneet’s space rovers stood out the most because they have demonstrated superb problem solving skills in tackling the challenges of the competition.

What are problem solving skills?

Problem solving skills are an essential aspect to children’s development.

Problem-solving also encourages creativity, which is key to success later on in life.

Source: Link

Not only will problem solving help children make better decisions, it’s also a key component in STEM. We can teach all types of concepts in classrooms but ultimately it’s up to our students to use their creativity to solve all types of complex problems.

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How can STEM Competitions help?

STEM Competitions are a great way for students to combine the different concepts they have learned in order to solve complex challenges. During the Wiz Prodigy Competition, students not only had to learn the required knowledge, but they also had to think outside of the box to design and build their robotic space rovers to complete different challenges. It was an extremely valuable way for students to develop the problem solving skills that are critical to their future successes.

When we look deeper into the problem solving process, we can see that problem solving involves both creativity and critical thinking. Both of which were demonstrated through the top submissions of the Wiz Prodigy Competition.

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Creativity in STEM

Creative thinking is the heart of problem solving. It is the ability to see a different way to do something, generate new ideas, and use materials in new ways.

Source: Link

Roneet’s clever use of the cardboard to better control the shape of the chassis of his space rover was very creative. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect objects was also a nice surprise. This was a perfect demonstration of creativity in STEM as he had applied a concept that he had learned — AI, to solve the problem.

Pictured above: Roneet’s Wiz Prodigy Submission

Critical Thinking in STEM

Critical, or logical, thinking is the ability to break an idea into its parts and analyze them.

Source: Link

In Mary’s space rover, our judges loved the 3D printed pieces Mary had custom made in order to solve the challenges.

Pictured above: Mary’s Wiz Prodigy Submission

Mary also demonstrated to the judges on the reasoning behind her design as well as mentioning about an earlier design and its reasons on why it didn’t work. This was a great example of good design thinking and planning which was essential to the success of her space rover.

Going beyond STEM Competitions

At Wiz Robotics, our STEM classes offer exciting and engaging opportunities for students to practice problem solving.

Try a demo class and see for yourself!

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3 Tips to Study More Effectively According to Science

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Science-backed methods to help students learn more effectively

In Ancient Rome, education was seen as very important and learning in public schools was heavily disciplined.

This was to encourage the belief that boys would learn more quickly and accurately if they were in constant fear of making mistakes.

Fortunately, such practices are no longer allowed (along with the rule that only boys could receive an education).

In modern society, there has been an increasing amount of evidence from researchers on several science-backed studying strategies that are proven to be effective.

Gone are the days of cramming and say hello to Spaced Repetition, Interleaving, and Hypercorrect methods.

Spaced Repetition

Spaced Repetition, also known as Distributed practice, is the strategy of studying material over a number of relatively short sessions.

According to a study done in 2013, researchers evaluated the 10 most commonly used learning techniques and found that the spaced repetition method was one of the most highly effective studying techniques.

Spacing out learning over time (i.e. 1–2 hours every other day, or a few times a week) was proven to be more effective in retaining more information and for longer.

According to another study from 2006 titled “Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis” published in Psychological Bulletin, the effect of spacing out learning sessions has been demonstrated in over 200 research studies from over a century of research.

In summary — Don’t cram.

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Interleave

How often have you heard of the phrase “Practice makes perfect”? We’ve always believed that the key to learning complex concepts is to learn it in blocks where you start with the basics and move on to the next step only when you’ve mastered the current skill. This blocking concept is dominant in schools, training programs, and other settings.

Interleaving is a learning method that’s been gaining popularity in the education world and is proven to be more effective than the traditional blocking method. It’s a technique of combining, mixing, or interleaving different concepts, subjects, or topics to study in one session.

Numerous studies across fields like mathematics (algebra and geometry), athletics (baseball and basketball), music, and medicine suggest that interleaving leads to key benefits for learners:

– Interleaving trains the brain to traverse between concepts by creating different practices rather than relying on rote response or muscle memory.

– Interleaving deepens long-term memory (brain and muscle) associations because mind and body are retrieving various responses.

– Interleaving requires students to discriminate among problem types and select a problem-solving strategy.

How can we use Interleave in practice?

To interleave while studying, students can choose several different topics and spread them throughout their study sessions. For example, studying biology and chemistry together can result in making new connections between topics and help with retrieving information more effectively.

At Wiz, interleaving is one of the teaching techniques that we actively adopt in our classes. Students are taught different areas of STEM to help them grasp a wider topic.

The best example at Wiz is through our competitions. Competitions combine different STEM concepts that students can learn and explore.

For the current Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition, students are taught coding and engineering skills in which they are required to use to build their robot. Additionally, the competition also encourages project management and presentation skills.

Learn more about the Wiz Prodigy Competition here.

Hypercorrect

The Hypercorrection effect happens once a general knowledge information is confidently misremembered by someone and the person learns the right version after their initial response is corrected, their likelihood of remembering this piece of information will be higher than someone who was unsure of their initial answer.

Hypercorrect is another technique that’s often used in Wiz classrooms. We love to encourage students to have the opportunity to speak up and participate because that’s the best way to learn!

Now that you’ve learned the 3 studying tips backed by science, do you have one that you are currently using or you would like to try?

Let us know!

About the Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition

We are hosting the 2022 edition of the Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition right now at Wiz Robotics. This year’s theme will be around the space rover.

Each individual or team registration will come with an at-home robotics kit accompanied by the Wiz online learning platform so you can learn to code and build your rover from scratch.

You can learn more about the 2022 Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition directly on the website. Be sure to also check out the amazing Cybertruck creations from the 2021 Wiz Prodigy Competition!

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

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Sources

“Education in Ancient Rome”. HistoryLearning.com. 2015. Web.

“The What, Why, and How Of ‘Interleaving’”. edweek.org. 2021. Web.

“Hypercorrection”. Wikipedia. Web.

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What’s this James Webb Telescope that Everyone is Talking About?

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NASA achieved an amazing milestone with the James Webb Telescope on Jan. 24th. What does this mean?

One of the biggest headlines in STEM that happened during the past week has got to be the James Webb Telescope.

NASA announced on January 24th that the $10 billion observatory has finally reached its destination after travelling nearly 1.6 million km (1 million mi.) since its Christmas Day launch.

Why should you care about the James Webb Telescope?

The Webb will help us gaze deeper into the history never seen before! We are talking about the very first stars and galaxies from over 13.5 billion years ago.

The James Webb Telescope Explained

Here are some quick facts that you should know about the Webb Telescope:

  • At a cost of $10 billion, the Webb Telescope and its flight was the culmination of 25 years of research and development.
  • It is the largest, most powerful and complex telescope that NASA has ever launched into space.
Artist’s representation of what the unfurled James Webb Space Telescope would look like in space. — NASA
  • It weights 13,700 lbs — roughly the mass of a full-size school bus.
  • At 69.5 ft x 46.5 ft (21 m x 14m), the Webb Telescope is comparable to a tennis court.
  • The Webb Telescope is equipped with a revolutionary set of 18 hexagonal mirror segments. This honeycomb arrangement allows for it to have the largest possible reflective surface area to make observations with the least amount of gap. Read more about the mirrors here and here.
  • The Webb Telescope is so sensitive that it could theoretically detect the heat signature of a bumblebee at the distance of the moon.
  • An international team of scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries spent 40 million total hours building the Webb Telescope.

Fun facts

The James Webb Telescope is supposed to be in service for the next 20 years. Have you wondered how it can stay in deep space for so long?

TIME magazine wrote that:

The telescope was launched with a full tank of maneuvering fuel, enough for it to operate for at least 10 years — not bad, but not nearly as long as the 32 years and counting that the Hubble Space Telescope has been in service in a stable low-Earth orbit, where it needs no such fuel.

So… How is the Webb going to stay in service?

Of course the engineers had already considered this aspect. They had built the Webb with a special refill port that would allow for a spacecraft to come in and fuel the tank.

The catch is — this type of spacecraft doesn’t exist yet and NASA only has a decade to make it happen.

But no need to worry!

The European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket that launched the Webb placed it on a trajectory so true that the telescope had to use virtually none of its precious fuel on outward-bound course corrections, extending its operational life to what engineers now predict could be 20 years or more.

So there we go! Problem solved.

The first images from the Webb Telescope is expected to come in 6 months or earlier. We can’t wait to see how they look like!

Learn more about the Webb Telescope on NASA’s website.

Is space exploration something up your alley?

The Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition lets you develop your skills in coding and engineering while further explore your passion in space exploration!

Each individual or team registration will come with an at-home robotics kit accompanied by the Wiz online learning platform so you can learn to code and build your own robotics space rover.

You can learn more about the 2022 Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition directly on the website. Be sure to also check out the amazing Cybertruck creations from the 2021 Wiz Prodigy Competition!

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4 STEM Holidays You Should Know About in 2022

Students Speak with the ISS (201211150011HQ) by NASA HQ PHOTO is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0

Looking for ways to inspire students to think creatively? Mark these special days on your calendar and celebrate with unique hands-on STEM activities.

At Wiz, we are all about inspiring and encouraging students to think outside of the box and apply their learnings from STEM classes to their day-to-day activities.

With the school year just starting, we have compiled a list of 4 STEM holidays that you should know to help motivate your children and/or students to think creatively.

Read until the end to see the complete list of STEM holidays for the whole year!

March 4

World Engineering Day

World Engineering Day is celebrated on the 4th of March every year. It was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2019 and celebrated internationally as a day to highlight engineers and engineering achievements.

World Engineering Day is important because it’s a day dedicated to raise awareness on how engineering and technology are central to modern life and crucial for sustainable development.

In all countries today, there are still many issues that need to be addressed including climate change, environmental issues, growing cities & its populations, as well as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Take World Engineering Day as an opportunity to engage with the younger generation and inspire them to think about how they can use STEM skills to change the world for the better.

Source: World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

April 2–10

National Robotics Week

Did you know that the U.S. House of Representatives officially designated the second full week of April as National Robotics Week?

The mission of National Robotics Week (RoboWeek) is simple: inspire students in robotics and STEM related fields, and share the excitement of robotics across all ages.

Robotics technology is critical to the economy and the touches upon all industries including health care, energy, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, agriculture, education, consumer goods, and others.

RoboWeek recognizes the need to reinforce STEM concepts and to inspire youths to pursue robotics and other STEM-related career fields to contribute to a modern workforce.

There are many activities you can do to celebrate RoboWeek. You can get the whole family involved and learn to code together, watch a Robot movie or read a Robot-themed book, or even build your own robot!

Speaking of building your own robots, you can celebrate RoboWeek with us by participating in the 2022 Wiz Prodigy Competition where you get to build your own robotics space rover at home with our robotics kit.

Check out some of the robot creations that our participants did for the 2021 Wiz Prodigy Competition!

Source: National Robotics Week

May 6

Space Day

Space Day was created by Lockheed Martin Corporation in 1997 to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) amongst youths. This celebration happens on the first Friday of May every year.

In case you didn’t know, Lockheed Martin has been working with NASA over the years on space exploration and they are the only company that has built a spacecraft that successfully landed on Mars!

Space Day seeks to inspire youth to explore different fields of STEM (not only Aerospace) and create strong foundations of economy of the future!

Source: Space Exploration at Lockheed Martin

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

June 23

International Women in Engineering Day

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is an annual global celebration of women engineers and draws focus to the many opportunities for women in engineering.

INWED was started in the UK by Women’s Engineering Society (WES) as a national initiative but has grown to achieve a global reach and UNESCO patronage.

According to WES, only 14.5% of women are engineers as of June 2021. The profession is hugely under-represented and many improvements still need to be made to ensure equality for women.

INWED is an important day to highlight women engineers around the world and to encourage young women and girls to pursue a career in STEM professions.

Source: International Women in Engineering Day

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

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We have created a list of STEM holidays for the entire calendar year so you can easily plan ahead!

Check out the 2022 STEM Holidays Calendar here

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Top 5 Reasons for Learning STEM

Hear it from students and teachers on why they love STEM education.

STEM has been a hot topic in education in recent years. It’s short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. If you mix in “Art”, it becomes STEAM. It is a merger of subjects with the goal of developing technical and critical thinking skills for modern learners.

At Wiz, we could go on for days about our love of STEM education and how we are constantly being amazed by the creativity and knowledge that our students have shown us. Instead of us raving on and on about this subject, I asked our students why they think taking STEM classes is amazing.

Here is what they told me:

It is fun! Building and being creative, what is there to not like?

“One of the best ways to learn and have fun is rolling up my sleeves and starting working. Whether it is coding, building a robot or designing a 3D masterpiece there is just an endless amount of fun.”

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“I love playing games and learning different courses. STEM is a way for me to explore my hobbies of playing games and also building games.”

The best way for children to learn is to let them be creative. Creativity drives motivation for children to learn. STEM education is one of the best ways for children to pick up new skills while having fun.

It is a great way to learn programming.

“Learning to code was scary and very confusing. It gave me the opportunity to learn by setting bite-sized goals. Learning STEM skills helped develop my coding skills.”

Learning programming can sound like a daunting task even for adults. STEM classes is a great way to break it down. Nothing motivates everyone more than celebrating small milestones.

Photo by Wiz Robotics

“I find that mixing programming with other engineering and creative building tasks made me realize coding can be fun!”

STEM lets your imagination run wild.

“I find learning STEM skills gives me an opportunity to express myself and really explore what I like to design and build.”

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“Learning about different sensors, I can link different technologies to make my own inventions!”

Future jobs and career paths.

“My parents are engineers and I see a clear path that learning STEM will help in developing my education for my future career.”

With super heroes like Iron Man, children are continuously looking up to a future in STEM fields. Starting STEM education at a young age would provide children with an opportunity to explore their interests and further develop their passion.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

“I want to become a Robotics Engineer and learning STEM helps me understand the code all the way to the mechanical aspects.”

Robots are everywhere!

Stay calm —we don’t have robot takeovers… (yet!)

Just take a look around the house and you’ll realize that robots are actually everywhere and they are not going away any time soon.

“From exploration to AI to life saving robots, we are relying on robots more and more. I find learning STEM really connects me with what is going on in the world.”

Photo by Lenin Estrada on Unsplash

“I see robots from our vacuum to robots helping the elderly. I think learning STEM really helps me keep my eyes open to looking at new technology and robots.”

At Wiz, I get to work with really amazing technology and the the smartest, and most passionate students. We want to take STEM education to the next level by encouraging our students to incorporate more creativity and imagination in their creations. This is why we are hosting a brand new edition of the Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition for 2022.

The theme of this year’s Wiz Prodigy is around space expeditions. Participants will get an opportunity to create their own AI motion-controlled exploration rover using Wiz’s robotics kit. More information about the competition can be found on the Wiz Prodigy website.

We can’t wait to see what a future of STEM would bring!

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