Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

Over Coffee® is on spring-break hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023!

Could you speak a 3D object into existence through AI?

Well--not just yet.

But ENGAGE XR Senior Sales Engineer Chris Madsen says it's coming.

While ENGAGE XR could technically be described as "an Ireland-based XR software firm", that phrasing doesn't capture the magic.

ENGAGE puts XR content creation within everyone's reach--with or without coding or worldbuilding skills. They also have an AI assistant, as well as allowing you to bring people into your physical environment, to interact with the objects around you in 3D!

Watching their journey has been especially exciting for us, as we first had the opportunity to meet and talk with Chris in 2019.

Since then, ENGAGE has celebrated multiple milestones.

These included a landmark immersive event: last spring's Fatboy Slim “Eat Sleep VR Repeat” concert!

And in this autumn, 2023 conversation, Chris indicated that much more is coming.

We're looking forward to updates!

For award-winning educator Professor William Jackson, imagination and creativity are the cornerstones of teaching.

William is the Education Program Director for the World Metaverse Council. He is also a certified S.T.E.A.M. + M (science, technology, education and math, and the metaverse!) teacher, as well as a certified VR instructor. In addition, he is CEO of My Quest to Teach and MetaverseWP.

In collaboration with his wife, artist/educator Aida Correa Jackson, William teaches both virtual and in-person project-based learning classes.

Using WordPress, they instruct students on website construction. And they're teaching globally, as well as locally. William and Aida have taught virtual classes in Africa, Pakistan and Taiwan, as well as their STEAM camps in Jacksonville, Florida. (Recently, they conducted a two-day S.T.E.A.M. camp where student projects were based on baseball principles!)

In 2023, William and Aida were the recipients of the World Metaverse Award for Global Metaverse Education. Here is a link to the video on one of their virtual classes, in which they taught VR, AR, AI, Metaverse , Ready Player Me and Spatial.io skills to university students in San Jose, Costa Rica,

William talked about his experiences as an educator, explained how he and Aida create virtual worlds, and offered a preview of what's next.

Can artificial intelligence help to bridge the gender-based digital divide in our future tech workforce?

That's exactly the goal of a brand-new initiative by global tech education nonprofit Technovation.

In January, Technovation announced "The AI Forward Allance".

The AI Forward Alliance challenges teams of girls, ages 8 - 18 , to use artificial intelligence to come up with an app that solves a real-world problem. (It's also a completely-free program, accessible to any educators, community organizations and youth leaders who'd like to download the curriculum!)

"Our thought was, 'why not bring all these voices together, to make sure women enter that global conversation around AI?'" explains Technovation Program Manager Abbey Mae Pitcher.

And the young participants have created some pretty incredible applications, addressing some of the real-world problems they've seen. Education, physical fitness, sustainability and entrepreneurship opportunities are just a few of the issues which their apps address.

Abby Mae shared the story of the AI Forward Alliance, talked about her creative journey as an educator working with Technovation and offered a preview of what's next!

This post and podcast are not, in any way, shape or form, affiliated with, nor endorsed by, NASA. We are NOT employed by NASA. (We just think this is very exciting stuff!)

"There is no better feeling you'll have in life, than achieving something or succeeding as a team,," says NASA Astronaut and retired U.S. Navy Captain Stephen G. Bowen.

He would certainly know.

Steve's career, so far, has included four flights to the International Space Station and ten spacewalks

On his most recent spaceflight, Steve served as Commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission. On March 2, 2023, he and his crew launched for the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. This particular mission would mark his longest stay aboard the ISS: a total of six months.

On this most recent stay aboard the ISS, Steve had the opportunity to see how well his previous projects had gone. During his previous three, shorter trips to the International Space Station, he and his fellow astronauts had rebuilt parts of it!

While aboard the International Space Station, he and the crew conducted scientific research--with experiments from all around the world.

"We're doing hundreds of experiments at a time," Steve says. The space station, he explains, is a national laboratory, and he found a couple of the medical-science experiments, especially, "incredibly exciting".

But intense workdays didn't preclude having fun.

"Every mission had its incredibly enjoyable parts," Steve says.

"...Just the people I've been able to spend time with on orbit...incredible human beings to have the opportunity to spend time with, and that just makes it so much fun."

Steve talked about his background, offered a look at life aboard the International Space Station and explained some of the ways astronauts' work in space can improve life on Earth.

"I see (art and engineering) as two sides of the same coin," says reDiscover Center Executive Director Jonathan Markowitz Bijur.

If that "coin" had two additional sides, they might well be sustainability--and inspiration.

That's because reDiscover Center starts with the concept of a "maker space", and puts the concept of "creative reuse" at the core of everything they do.

Educating youth to use discarded materials to create something really cool; empowering makers of all ages; and outreach to schools and underserved communities are all aspects of their mission of building a creative and environmentally sustainable society.

reDiscover Center works with more than 60 schools in Los Angeles County, giving students the opportunity for hands-on maker education. Sometimes, Jonathan says, these programs mark the first time these students have engaged in hands-on creative activities.

Teacher training and resources for educators and parents are also among reDiscover Center's services. And many of these services are provided free of charge.

Meanwhile, for individuals and families, reDiscover Center's offerings include tinkering camps, weekend family crafting sessions, tool safety training and special events.

If you're going to be in the Southern California area, you might want to mark your calendar now, for one of the latter.

Every summer, reDiscover Center hosts their "Cardboard City" annual pop-up art center.

Currently in the planning stages, this year's edition will feature classes, hands-on activities and some incredible exhibits, made entirely of cardboard. The location will be announced for "Cardboard City" 2024, which happens in July and August.

And congratulations are in order, as reDiscover Center expands their outreach! Winter, 2024, marked the soft opening of their second maker space, in Los Angeles' Mid-City area. (Their original location is in Venice, California.)

Jonathan shared the story of reDiscover Center, offered a closer look at their activities and services, and explained some of the ways others can get involved to help.

"Once we work together on projects,...we see that the differences between us aren't that great,' says Africa VR Campus and Center Co-founder and Associate Director Dr. Tom Nickel.

His vision? To empower people from all over the world, towards a better future.

Tom's work with Africa VR Campus and Center has been key to their outreach to students, covered in our earlier interviews with Founder/CEO Paul Simon Waiyaki and XR Girls Founder Diana Njeri.

Based in Seattle, Washington, Tom is both Chief Visionary at My VR Projects, as well as Executive Director for Continuing Education at Alliant International University.

"I've always been a media guy," he says.

His media expertise led directly to his involvement with Africa VR Campus and Center.

Tom hosts street art events for social good, creating environments on Wednesdays, middays, in Engage VR. In VRChat, Tom co-hosts a virtual weekly meetup, "Death Q & A", with Ryan Astheimer, where participants share their feelings on mortality. And on Engage, he also hosts "Saying Goodbye", a group session in which participants discuss the ways they're dealing with loss.

Tom talked about his experiences, offered a closer look at creating events in virtual reality and issued an invitation for anyone who hasn't yet experienced VR, to come and find out more.

"In the beginning, they didn't know what the metaverse was all about," says XR Girls Africa Founder Diana Njeri.

But to say that the young women whom she mentors learned quickly, would be an understatement.

Diana, who is an Associate Director of Africa VR Campus and Center, says she was introduced to VR by Africa VR Campus and Center Founder/CEO Paul Simon Waiyaki,

Fascinated by the new technology, she began exploring its possibilities.

With a background as an educator and student leader, Diana quickly realized VR's potential for educating girls and young women in underserved areas. An invitation from a STEAM organization led her to invite some local girls to experience virtual reality under her guidance--and to begin to use the metaverse to build their futures.

Ultimately, as you'll see on their YouTube channel, not only were they the first African girls in the metaverse--they also won a top honor!

And today, as they continue their education through virtual reality, XR Girls Africa also host their own virtual events -and are teaching others how to use the metaverse for social good.

Diana discussed her own first experience with virtual reality, shared the story of her creative journey with Africa VR Campus and Center and XR Girls Africa, and talked about her vision for the future.

"My mind was blown!" says Africa VR Campus and Center Founder/CEO Paul Simon Waiyaki.

He's describing his own introduction to virtual reality. But what he's also describing, is the cornerstone of his current work.

As the first African in the metaverse, Waiyaki, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, has created a virtual network of communities. Africa VR Campus and Center is, as their website says, "a place and a network for young Africans in VR for Social Change."

Part of Waiyaki's work involves taking VR headsets around to local schools with limited resources. Teachers and students alike have been amazed at the opportunities the technology allows: from experiencing space travel to looking at microorganisms up close in a science class.

Most importantly, though, virtual reality allows for interaction.

The emerging Africa VR Network currently includes nine different programs which use VR as an instrument for social good.

Among these is XR Girls Africa--a program which supports young women in education and encourages them to learn future career skills. Working in tandem with Girls STEAM Institute, girls from this program entered a virtual business-concept competition. Competing with teams of young women from all over the world, their business concept won first place!

XR Girls Africa also host events in Engage, in which they discuss the issues currently facing young women in their communities. Their next meetup happens Wednesday, February 26th at 6:00 am Pacific, 9:00 am Eastern, on the Engage VR platform, and you're invited!

Then, there's Africa VR Campus and Center's educational outreach--to familiarize the rest of the world with African history and culture.

"Let Africa speak for itself," Waiyaki says, of the ways his continent is currently portrayed in mainstream media.

Accordingly, every Thursday, he hosts virtual-reality meetups, to which all are welcome to come and learn more about the stories, music and history of Africa. (This event happens at 11:00 am Pacific time, in Engage.)

And for Waiyaki and his team, these are just the first steps in creating a better future--to which he'd like to invite anyone who can attend virtually!

Waiyaki shared the story of becoming the first African in the metaverse, talked about creating Africa VR Campus and Center, and shared a closer look at the current programs--and what's next.

"You almost can't do anything any more that does not (involve) S.T.E.A.M.," says Robotics Education and Competition Foundation Community Innovations Manager Nancy McIntyre.

Nancy, who will be giving two presentations at this week's California STEAM Symposium, in Long Beach, CA, is a former teacher and robotics coach.

And she's discussing teaching students skills for today's job market, through hands-on experience.

That experience? Designing and constructing competition robots, as participants in nonprofit REC Foundation's family of VEX Robotics programs.

From elementary school through college level, REC Foundation offers VEX Robotics curricula. Student teams collaborate on creating their robots, then entering them in a competition. In a game setting, the students' robots complete tasks, with the winners of each round going on to the next level.

More than a million students, in 70 countries, participate in the program, according to REC Foundation's website. And annually, the top 3,000 teams--from all over the world--come together for the world's largest robotics competition, which will be happening this April in Dallas.

While the students are having fun, though, they're also learning skills they couldn't get in a classroom. These include team collaboration, problem-solving and effective communication.

REC Foundation has even published a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book, subtitled, "Inspiring Students, One Robot at a Time," in which they share the stories of a number of students, as well as educators, who have seen the VEX program change lives.

Nancy explained some of the ways the program is guiding students towards future careers, shared a preview of the two sessions she'll be hosting at California STEAM Symposium and offered a preview of the upcoming VEX Robotics World Championship.

On New Year's Day, 2024, a "cool bus" made its way down Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard.

This wasn't just any bus. In fact, it wasn't, technically, a bus at all.

What it was, was La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association's award-winning Rose Parade® float, "Flower Power", drawing delighted responses from parade goers as it went by.

"Flower Power" was a peace-symbol-decked, 1960s-style school bus (labeled "cool bus"!), driven by a rose and with a band of flowers playing 1960s music on their instruments. It was led by a small yellow satellite float, in which were riding two "group-bees".

And it was preceded by a "Golden State Award" banner--for "Best Representation of Life in California".

As one of six noncommercial float builders, or "self-builts", entering their creations in the Rose Parade®, nonprofit LCFTRA has won multiple awards. However, 2024 marks their first "Golden State Award" since they first began entering floats in the Tournament of Roses® Parade in 1978.

In fact, LCFTRA's win marks the first time a self-built has ever won the Golden State Award!

Since March of 2023, Over Coffee® has had the honor of following LCFTRA's float building journey, as the ultimate expression of creativity at the intersection of art and science.

LCFTRA Vice President of Float Development Pam Wiedenbeck has generously taken us behind the scenes and through the stages from rendering to reality.

Receiving approval from the Tournament of Roses®, naming the float, frame construction, animation decisions, character construction and music selection have all been milestones we've had the opportunity to discuss.

And now, LCFTRA is restarting the cycle. They'll shortly be selecting a new design for their 2025 Rose Parade®float. They're recruiting volunteers, if you'd like to help, and have a GoFundMe page and several fundraisers coming up, to cover the cost of float materials.

Pam shared the final months of the journey to Colorado Boulevard with "Flower Power", offered a look at the judging and awards, and previewed what's next!