Rice Office of STEM Engagement is committed to bringing cutting-edge research from the university directly into Houston-area classrooms, equipping both students and educators with the skills to lead the next technological revolution.
This commitment was on full display in September with the Rice Wireless Innovators Lab, a two-part series that provided a hands-on introduction to wireless communication, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to a group of high school students and STEM educators.
Two one-day workshops were designed to build technical confidence and inspire innovation. Developed by Brittany Templeton, R-STEM’s assistant director for computer science and mathematics, the curriculum focused on using the BBC micro:bit to explore how emerging technologies can be used to solve real-world challenges.
One workshop was for teachers and another for high school students. The workshops featured presentations on Rice Wireless projects and core activities, including sending wireless messages in a “Fireflies” activity and training an AI model to detect an owl’s movements. The day culminated in participants designing their own projects, which led to innovative solutions, such as AI wristbands that tracked exercise and devices to assist visually impaired individuals.
The first part of the series was a professional development workshop for middle and high school educators, welcoming 27 teachers from over a dozen Houston-area school districts, including Spring Branch, Cy-Fair and Houston. Our goal was to help these teachers bring complex STEM content into their classrooms with creativity and confidence. The workshop was highly effective, with participants reporting that their self-reported experience level with the micro:bit significantly improved, from an average of 2.4 before the workshop to 4.1 out of 5 after the workshop, where 1 is ‘not familiar at all’ to 5 being ‘extremely familiar.’ One teacher called it the best Rice workshop they had attended and many expressed confidence in immediately applying the lessons to subjects like robotics, physics and computer science.
The second part was a technology immersion workshop for 30 high school students from 13 different districts, including Houston, Alvin and Fort Bend. This session was designed to increase student interest in STEM topics.
The results were outstanding: the students’ level of experience with micro:bit jumped from an average of 1.8 before the workshop to 4 out of 5 after the workshop. The students valued the hands-on activities and opportunities for independent, creative projects, with several reporting that the experience strengthened their interest in pursuing a career in STEM. All students received the materials used in the session to continue innovating at home.
The success of the Rice Wireless Innovators Lab is a testament to the power of collaboration between Rice University and our local schools. By directly addressing the need for high-quality, relevant computer science and engineering education, R-STEM continues to fulfill its mission of preparing the next generation of innovators in Houston. R-STEM looks forward to building on this momentum next year by considering a two-day format to allow for even deeper exploration and project time.
MATTHEW CUSHING
Executive Director
Rice Office of STEM Engagement