3 minute read
STEM
ILLINOIS 4-H IS A LEADER IN PREPARING YOUTH FOR AGRICULTURE AND STEM CAREERS.
Alex Rose of Tazewell County poses with his award-winning State Fair project. Alex started with a concept 5 years ago and kept testing designs to expand. The entire structure is built using Lego Mindstorm and Kinex materials. Next up? Refining all of the coding on this design. The Illinois 4-H bot meets the Governor's State bot at the DoIT STEAM Expo.
Members compete at a statewide e-Sports competition.
4-H is developing valuable skill sets through STEM
New innovation opportunities are sometimes a scarce commodity for underserved audiences. 4-H SPIN Program Coordinator Julian Inniss partnered with the local YMCA to create an after-school STEM-based program in Knox County. He believes the skills gained from STEM education extend beyond those needed to be successful in just the STEM fields, preparing youth with varied interests to move into any industry and allow them to be successful. This program helps more youth to be exposed to STEM and its critical thinking elements.
“In order to change the future, we need to change the present.” -Julian Inniss
Illinois 4-H members are more likely than other youth to want a job related to science and see science as exciting.
Bureau County youth experiment with STEAM through monthly kits provided at local libraries. Activities explored include coding an ornament, symmetrical snowflakes, catapults, thaumatropes, jumping bunnies, and flowers on watercolor. MISSION COMMAND TEAM
This youth team defines, develops, and operates real space missions!
Dina Hashash, Champaign County Benjamin Suckow, Macon County Michelle Wang, Jackson County Dhruv Rebba, McLean County
McLean County Teen Dhruv Rebba Named a National 4-H Youth in Action STEM Winner
Dhruv is recognized as an accomplished STEM leader and founder of the nonprofit, Universal Help, which has digitized and provided textbooks, internet access, and technology to schools in rural India. He has also created opportunities for many young people in his community to access STEM education by establishing 4-H robotics clubs at local schools. For these efforts, he will be recognized nationally and receive a $5,000 scholarship. The 4-H Youth in Action Awards, sponsored in part by HughesNet, began in 2010 to recognize 4-H’ers who have used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their communities.
Dhruv founded Universal Help in ninth grade with the desire to “improve the quality of life for people all over the world in innovative ways.” After visiting his father’s home village in India and witnessing their lack of internet access and digital literacy, he worked with the local community to establish access to digital resources in school by providing textbooks, computers and other technology to students. His work in this rural Indian community has continued through efforts to expand solar energy access to residents, providing relief during natural disasters, and establishing an isolation center during the recent Covid-19 Delta variant surge.
In 4-H, Dhruv found affordable and accessible STEM education. Using the leadership and problem-solving skills he learned in 4-H, he transformed his interest in STEM into a tool to help other students in Illinois and across the world find affordable and accessible STEM education, too. He established two new robotics clubs in his community and advocated with national policymakers for increased support for after-school STEM programs for youth. He is also a founding member of the 4-H in Space and Mission Command Team, partnering with University of Illinois STEM Extension and Lab for Advanced Space Stations at Illinois (LASSI). Rebba plans to pursue a career in engineering or computer science after graduating high school in 2022.
In addition to receiving the STEM scholarship for higher education, Dhruv will serve as an advocate and spokesperson for 4-H STEM programming.
