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

"Wow" is one of the most exciting reactions any creator can hear, in response to their work.

Tech pioneer, human-centric AI consultant and author/speaker/podcast host Elizabeth Bieniek knows exactly how to evoke that response.

In her book, Cake on Tuesday: 25 Lessons to Unlock Corporate Innovation, Elizabeth explains the steps involved in creating something amazing.

In 2021, Elizabeth built and led the team that created the groundbreaking Webex Hologram holographic collaboration system.

This is a project that sounds like a cross between science fiction and magic. Webex Hologram is a real-time meeting technology which allows collaborators from all over the world to appear and interact, holographically, in the same space.

(Wow.)

"Cake" and creativity

While her book explores corporate innovation, the lessons Elizabeth learned, leading her team of technological innovators, could easily be applied to your next creative project.

Among those lessons: keeping the project simple, keeping a plan flexible, and persisting through the middle of a project--which no one tends to like.

And most of all, having fun.

The title of Elizabeth's book--and of her podcast, comes from one of the ways she incorporated the fun element into her team as they created Webex Hologram. Be sure to check out her "Cake on Tuesday" podcast, as she and her guests discuss entrepreneurship, tech leadership and innovation!

In this discussion, recorded in 2025, we apply some of the principles from Elizabeth’s book to a hypothetical educator’s experience of creating a mini maker faire!

"It truly can go anywhere a car can go," says Think Tank Science Program Manager Christina Campbell, of her nonprofit's mobile STEAM lab.

That flexibility allows for a major expansion of horizons for students all over the Los Angeles area.

Think Tank Science's mobile STEAM lab, which celebrated its two-year anniversary in March, provides resources and mentorship to students in underserved communities.

Their vision: maker education for everyone.

Like an ice cream truck--but better

In describing how the lab works, Christina likens it to an ice cream truck.

The difference, though? Once the mobile STEAM lab arrives at a school, festival or other location, it can open out into a full classroom.

Inside that classroom is equipment for all types of maker projects.

Students are empowered to learn science, technology, engineering, art and math by using their creativity. Woodworking, 3D printing, robotics and advanced design are among the maker skills they can learn.

Think Tank Science's services include school visits, after school programs and day camps.

Christina says the program is available for free to schools in underserved areas. The biggest challenge, she adds, is connecting with administrators to arrange a time when their lab can visit the school!

As a paid service, to fund their work, Think Tank Science can also provide birthday parties with arts and crafts! Here is the link to book them for a special event.

Empowerment for all

While maker classes are available for K through 12 students, there are also DIY courses for learners of all ages and skill levels.

(Here's a link to Think Tank Science's YouTube video on one of their most popular projects: creating an LED lamp.)

And much more is coming!

Christina talked about her own educational journey, her experiences with Think Tank Science and her vision for the future.

"We try to be creative," says VictoryXR CEO and Co-Founder Steve Grubbs.

He's explaining the ways his interactive educational platform engages students through immersive experiences.

Those experiences could include learning Newton's Laws from the middle of a pool table. Or exploring the history of ancient Egypt by traveling through the Avenue of the Sphinxes. Or even by building new worlds in a creator space!

In the ten years since VictoryXR's founding in 2016, educators in more than 30 countries have used its applications of virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence to spark students' imagination.

Imagination in action

Among these applications is the VXRLabs platform, which is free to download.

Students can examine statuary on an interactive field trip to Egypt, experiment in a virtual biology lab, and use mathematics as a key to making their way through the "King's Labyrinth", among VictoryXR's offerings.

They can also come up with their own content, and create new worlds in a "creator space".

Meanwhile, the "Victory XR: Global Traveler" app will take them all over the world on virtual field trips. Steve says much more content is coming, to be added to more than 160 current experiences.

And their HOLOTUTOR: an AI student tutor, is available 24/7, and can tutor students in virtually any subject. (It's also free to download.)

A wide range of possibilities

Students, by the way, aren't just restricted to the K through 12 groups.

Victory XR also has resources for homeschooling, higher education and career and technical training.

Steve talked about his background, shared the story of creating VictoryXR and offered a closer look at some of the ways his company continues to transform the ways we learn--and teach.

Over Coffee® is on summer hiatus as we prepare a special-edition show! Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top conversations on robotics from 2025.

Where does inspiration start?

Sometimes, it begins with an experience, which makes someone see themselves--and their future--from an exciting new perspective.

That's the whole idea behind True Robotics.

On their website, this Worcester, Massachusetts-based startup states their mission as, "providing every student the opportunity to learn with robots, not just the top 10-20% of learners" .

True Robotics President and Founder Anthony Galgano is accomplishing that mission by providing curricula and robotics kits for students, grades K through 8.

"There (are) so many programs out there that are amazing for...the kids who are going to MIT already," he says.

"But what I think is unique about us, is that we are focused on that other percentage, that 80 percent, and trying to get everyone exposure."

Open doors, competitions and mini-modules

True Robotics has a multi-pronged approach to that goal.

They offer three different classroom robotics packages--Treads, Pilot and Axle, for grades K-3, 3-5. and 6-8, respectively.

For educators who don't have the budget for robotics kits, they have free or low-cost mini modules on their website. These include a playground simulation, coding and AI lessons and machine learning fundamentals.

They welcome students for tours at their warehouse, as well as visiting schools in their local area, and showcasing their programs at conferences.

And, they host competitions! Their third annual True Robotics Competition took place approximately a month ago, according to Anthony's LinkedIn, and was their largest one yet. Fourteen teams competed, using their problem-solving skills in events including obstacle courses, king of the hill and robot soccer.

"Getting the students to be empowered, and taking responsibility...it's like one of the coolest things, to actually impact the students forever," Anthony says.

That impact continues to grow.

Anthony emails that True Robotics served 32,000 students in 2025!

While he says this figure is "just shy of our 35,000 goal", 2026 marks a major increase.

"This year we are already up to 38,000, on our way to 65,000," Anthony adds. (And those figures are current as of June, 2026!)

Anthony talked about his background in robotics, offered a closer look at True Robotics’ robotics packages and shared his vision for the future.

Music is Futureproof Music School Founder and CEO John von Seggern's passion.

So is guiding fellow musicians as they develop their skills in a constantly-changing industry.

And now, AI is allowing him to provide electronic music producers with an affordable platform--and a community--for developing their gifts and completing their projects.

John opened Futureproof Music School, the first AI-native music school, in 2024.

Students build their music-production skills through courses designed to produce real-world results. They can also have members of the online community offer feedback on their current tracks, as well as meeting with pro mentors.

"...Every student gets at least one check-in with a human mentor, every month," John says.

In addition, there's an AI music coach, called Kadence, who can guide them through arranging, composing and mixing, 24/7.

Expertise becomes affordable

John, a gifted bassist and electronic music producer, spent fifteen years creating educational content for top music schools.

During that time, he says, he saw standardized curricula for students--at prices that could be prohibitive.

With Futureproof Music School, he resolved to create something different.

Accordingly, Futureproof Music School's tuition is $99 per month--with access to more than 20 courses, in all aspects of electronic music production. Community membership is included, as is mentorship. These classes are designed so that students can fit their studies around their other commitments.

Additional offerings are a higher-tier live-session artist accelerator program, to which students can apply, and a blog with production tips and tutorials.

And Kadence allows individual students to customize their learning! (Students can also learn with Kadence alone, for $29 per month.)

John talked about his musical career, shared the story of Futureproof Music School and offered a closer look at what his students get to experience.

(Would you like to hear John's band, Liminal Shade? Here's their link!)

Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira has something exciting to show you.

Actually, she has several exciting innovations to show everyone--with more coming.

Dr. Cruz is an immersive technology pioneer and the creator of the original CAVE VR system: the world's first real-time environment to allow multiple people to have an immersive experience in the same space.

And she's about to showcase her latest projects on the exhibit floor of Augmented World Expo 2026, in Long Beach.

Those projects? A human telepresence robot, and her work with her team on AI companions! (Both of these are currently finalists for AWE's Auggie Awards!)

For Dr. Cruz, who is the Executive Director of Pegasus Institute as well as the Interim Executive Director of UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training, these projects are just the latest steps in nearly four decades of innovation.

An innovator's journey

Dr. Cruz has founded multiple successful applied-research centers, spearheaded open-source initiatives, innovated digital tools used worldwide. Recently she received IEEE's VR Lifetime Achievement Award.

Additional honors received, over the course of her career, include her induction into the National Academy of Engineering, as the first person to receive this recognition for immersive technologies and virtual reality. Dr. Cruz is an AWE XR Hall of Fame member, and in 2025, Forbes Magazine recognized her in their prestigious "50 Over 50" List.

However, she says, her current work resulted from her Plan "B" when she attended college.

Her original career aspiration: to become a classical ballerina.

To satisfy her family, who wanted her to have a more marketable degree, she studied systems engineering and computer science.

"I (could do my STEM homework super fast) to get that out of the way and get to the studio," she explains.

From studio to research lab

But when an accident ended her dreams of a dance career, she combined her creativity and technical abilities in computer graphics work.

A chance invitation led her to discover virtual reality.

The rest is not only history--but still evolving.

"We have made tremendous progress, but...I don't think we're done yet," Dr. Cruz says, of the current state of virtual and extended reality.

Dr. Cruz talked about her background, shared the story of pioneering the CAVE and offered a look at some of the emerging technologies she and her team are exploring.

(Would you like to meet Dr. Cruz and her team, and get a look at their work firsthand? They'll be at Booth 337, on the Augmented World Expo exhibit floor. AWE 2026 runs June 15th through 18th in Long Beach.)

Garner Holt Education Through Imagination is inspiring everyone to play, dream and be creative.

In the process, students may be discovering future careers.

This imaginative Redlands-based STEAM program implements unique "AniMaker" spaces for schools and communities. Students and participants of all ages learn twenty-first century hands-on skills, while designing and creating animatronics.

Recently, Garner Holt Education Through Imagination opened a new space at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Redlands - Riverside.

You'll get to see this firsthand.

You're invited to their virtual open house, on Tuesday, June 9th, to find out more about how they implemented this first-of-its-kind space in the area! Here's the link for more information.

Multifaceted STEAM

In addition, Garner Holt Education Through Imagination offers STEAM animatronics kits, STEAM camp experiences and field trips. They also do professional training for educators.

It's all about the students discovering what they love to do, and having fun being creative, says Educational Services Manager Jill Brown.

"I like to say that my job is getting to what I wish I'd had, as a kid," explains Jill, who draws on her background in early childhood education to create the curricula.

"With all of the programs and field trips and summer camps that I get to create, I always think of, 'what would I want to see from this?', or...'what's something that I think would be intriguing?'"

A pioneer's creative journey

This innovative program ultimately resulted from the general public's interest in Garner Holt Productions.

The world's largest creator of animatronics, show action systems and interactive elements started with owner and company president Garner Holt, and his passion for building cool characters that give, as he says, "the illusion of life".

Garner, while still in his teens, had begun by building animatronics in his parents' garage. He quickly branched out to create his own company in 1977.

"As I moved out of my parents' garage and into a building, people always wanted to know what I was doing...making a dinosaur or some character or something like that," he explains.

"So, I started giving tours."

As the shop grew, in the ensuing 49 years, Garner Holt Productions wowed people all over the world.

Their spectacular creations captivated visitors at locations including theme parks, museums, zoos, and a popular children's restaurant chain.

And Garner never said "no" to anyone who wanted to tour the facility.

Giving back to future generations

These explorations of the creative process behind the magic ultimately led to the STEAM education program, and its goal of introducing students to possible future career paths.

"I started to adopt schools," Garner says.

"I combined forces with a couple of different educators...we decided to create some form of a STEAM/STEM learning thing (with animatronics).

"...It's a modern-day shop class for schools."

In addition to the Education Through Imagination program, Garner also created the nonprofit Garner Holt Foundation, which offers underserved youth opportunities for hands-on, career-focused STEAM education.

Meanwhile, he says, community-based maker space Garner's Garage will soon be welcoming additional young makers into its hands-on learning environment.

Garner and Jill talked about their experiences with Education Through Imagination, offered a look at the applications of STEAM in creating animatronics, and shared their vision for the future of their STEAM education programs.

"We are creating innovators who are solving problems in real time," says Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside Teen Services Program Manager Montoya Dunn.

That creative process is happening in a new, exciting space.

In April, 2026, the Garner Holt Teen Innovation Center opened its doors at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Redlands - Riverside.

The first of its kind in the region, the Garner Holt Teen Innovation Center offers youth hands-on opportunities to build new skills as they bring their creative ideas to life.

Among the areas teens can explore are 3D printing, graphic design, PC building and E-sports. Creative entrepreneurship is flourishing, and the "Club Kids" are discovering possible future opportunities which may not have occurred them before.

Meanwhile, two special events are coming up!

On August 29th, Boys & Girls Club will host their teens-only recruitment event, "Total Teen Takeover". Then, on September 12th, everyone's invited to "A Day for Kids", where visitors can see what teens are creating in the new space!

(And if you'd like to see all the exciting activities happening at the Teen Center, be sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook!)

Montoya talked about her background as a Boys & Girls Club alumni, shared the story of implementing the Teen Innovation Center and offered a closer look at the ways the new equipment will be allowing teens to grow, now and in the future.

"Don't copy and paste. Copy and innovate,"says Prothea Kenya Co-Founder and Managing Director Dr. Nick Were.

That's exactly what he's doing, in his career as an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Nairobi College of Health Sciences--as well as the company he co-founded in 2023.

"I've always been really passionate about mechanics," Dr. Were says.

"...I really like how things work...(surgery allows me to mix that passion with medicine).

"...You're fixing bones, there's lots of biomechanic principles, and most importantly, most of the cases you see are successful. You fix someone, and he's walking in about two months.

"That's really the joy."

Dr. Were combines his passion for making things work with cutting-edge technologies, to improve medicine--and lives--in Kenya.

Prothea Kenya, the only successful 3D printing prosthetic device company In East and Central Africa, 3D prints prosthetic devices for amputees.

The results can be life-changing.

Innovating prosthetics

At about half the cost of creating a traditional prosthetic, Prothea Kenya produces devices that are lighter, as well as customized to the individual. In addition, the production process is much quicker than that of creating a traditional prosthetic device.

And once fitted with these 3D printed prostheses and trained to use the new devices, Dr. Were's patients can lead productive lives once again--as opposed to being immobilized and unemployed.

But 3D printing isn't the only cutting-edge technology he's using, to create a better future.

"The virtual reality is really amazing," Dr. Were says, explaining the ways he uses virtual reality for amputee rehabilitation.

As patients adapt to their new devices,they can experience AI-generated immersive scenarios, based on their likes and interests. Meanwhile, VR is helping with pain management and allowing them to adjust to their new devices, due to its ability to "trick" the brain.

"In VR, when you look down, you have both legs," Dr. Were explains.

"And you're moving. And the legs appear normal. This has an effect on the brain...and it helps with the coping, ...the phantom pain and quite a number of things."

Excellence, VR and--fashion?

In addition to his work with prosthetic devices, Dr. Were, who is Chief Medical Officer at digital healthcare platform Docthus Healthtech, uses mixed reality to update fellow healthcare professionals on current trends in medicine. He also uses virtual reality to provide medical education.

But perhaps the most exciting of his innovations is still evolving.

In 2025, Dr. Were produced the first "Mr. and Miss Amputee Kenya Fashion Show"!

And he's currently seeking sponsors, in order to produce it again in 2026.

For amputees, he says, the event offers a community of comfort and validation.

"(We're) really going against the narrative of poverty and disability," he says.

(Know a potential sponsor, or sponsors? Reach out to Dr. Were at Prothea Kenya!)

Dr. Were talked about his background, shared the story of creating Prothea Kenya and offered a preview of what's next!

"We just need a full redesign on our educational system, because it's...falling short," says Unlimited Awesome Co-Founder and COO Julie Smithson.

She's speaking from her own experience, even as she designs a better future through her revolutionary new entrepreneurship education platform, Unlimited Awesome.

The program

With a scheduled launch this autumn, Unlimited Awesome maps students' goals and strengths through an AI Mentor. Students then master life skills through "6 Castles of Success", earn interactive badges in gamified learning experiences, and collaborate globally on a virtual campus.

And they'll be guided by mentors--more than 175 of whom have volunteered to coach the students in their entrepreneurial journey.

The program, Julie estimates, will take students about two years to complete.

"At the end of (the entire program), the result that we want is for that student to come up with a business," Julie says.

"We truly believe in the solopreneur."

Reinventing education for a future world

Julie, who is the co-founder of both METAVRSE and nonprofit XR Women, began working on Unlimited Awesome, in tandem with her partner and husband, futurist Alan Smithson, more than twelve years ago. The catalyst: the disparity she saw between her then-nine-year-old daughter's experience with traditional education, and her daughter's talents as a budding entrepreneur.

While attending inventor's camp, her young daughter came up with an imaginative and marketable product. But upon her return to traditional classes, the curriculum didn't match the skills she would need as a future innovator.

"My daughter is about to graduate high school, and I'm frustrated to say that she hasn't been taught how to manage money," Julie comments.

"Today, in (this) day and age, let's start asking, why aren't we teaching this? This is such a fundamental (skill)."

Far more than a classroom

But Unlimited Awesome is about much more than, simply, "school".

Julie describes it as an ecosystem, with a goal of having every student thrive. The ultimate goal: a community of inventors, creators and entrepreneurs who can flourish in a future unpredictable marketplace, as well as mentor other students following graduation.

The "6 Castles of Success" in Unlimited Awesome's personalized-learning program go

beyond simple business skills--to cover areas including ethics, money management, purpose and health and wellness.

"...We have built this curriculum that we feel will accelerate (students), in a way that they will benefit back to society," Julie says.

"And these are the people we want around us. They're the ones that we want to build our future."

Julie shared the story of creating Unlimited Awesome, offered a closer look at what students will experience, and discussed some of the ways the life skills in the program will prepare them for the careers of the future.