A group of 22 high school students returned to the Rice University campus this fall to participate in the Innovator Spotlight workshop. These entrepreneurial-minded students were selected for the exceptional projects and ideas they had developed in the Digital Health Young Scholars program.
The Digital Health Young Scholars program, a three-week summer experience hosted by Rice’s Office of STEM Engagement (R-STEM), introduces 10th and 11th grade students to digital circuitry, computer science, physics and engineering research.
Two years ago, the university’s catalyst for STEM education, R-STEM, received numerous inquiries from students in the Digital Health Young Scholars program who were eager to find ways to continue their entrepreneurial projects long after summer had ended.
The overwhelming interest from students inspired, Brittany Templeton, R-STEM assistant director of computer science and mathematics to spearhead Innovator Spotlight, a one-day, post-summer workshop offering mentorship and materials needed to help students take their projects to the next level. In this workshop, students have the support and additional resources needed to empower them to focus on innovation and execution, which Templeton said “makes all the difference.”
Over the years, Templeton has worked alongside Joseph Young, assistant teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice, and Christopher Franklin, Fort Bend ISD fundamentals of computer science teacher. Together, they have taught the Digital Health Young Scholars program. With the Innovator Spotlight, they are taking STEM education one step further by leading and cultivating the next generation of change innovators,
Young said he joined R-STEM’s summer programs because he wanted to show high school students the possibilities within electrical and computer engineering and their potential impact on the world, particularly with health issues. He was not expecting students to be so deeply vested in their work.
“I was surprised to see how engaged and self-motivated students are despite this program and the workshop not being for a grade,” Young said. “It is wonderful to see how they fall in love with the program and push forward because they are genuinely interested.” Throughout Innovator Spotlight, Templeton, Young and Franklin mentored their protégés with the help of other instructors. Together, they harnessed students’ passions to create digital health devices to make a difference with real-world applications. Some students designed devices to locate Alzheimer’s patients in the event of becoming disoriented or lost, while others developed prototypes to detect safe drinking water conditions. All of the projects, while varied in design, scope and purpose, shared a common goal — to create a low-cost solution to positively impact underrepresented populations in digital health care.
“After witnessing the transformative effects of the first summer cohort where students grew and achieved what they once thought impossible, I knew we had something special,” said Franklin. “Seeing just how far students can go when given the proper support and challenges is remarkable.”
The Digital Health Young Scholars program and the Innovator Spotlight workshop are co-sponsored by Expeditions in Computing and the Precise Advanced Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved Populations Engineering Research Center — both funded by the National Science Foundation. The goal of all NSF-ERC funded programs is to integrate engineering research and education with technological innovation to transform national prosperity, health and security. The program and the workshop at Rice provide opportunities for young students to participate in the mission of NSF-led programs at an early age while offering them college-readiness skills.
Templeton said she was pleasantly surprised to see the teenagers channel their passion and drive into projects that aim to improve the world. “This is not what I was doing at 14 years old,” she said. “The commitment of these students to create positive change, even at such a young age, is inspiring and has renewed my hope for the future.”
Applications for the Digital Health Young Scholars program at Rice will open in early February 2025, followed by invitations for the Innovator Spotlight. High school students interested in developing digital health care solutions for underrepresented populations should submit an online application for consideration. To learn more about R-STEM student programs, visit rstem.rice.edu.
Debbie Heath
Director of Operations and Marketing
Rice Office of STEM Engagement