Seven college students are biking across the country in an effort to change it.
On the journey, they are teaching 13 engineering and science workshops for middle school and high school students, including July 16-17 at the Loveland Public Library
The group, made up of students from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, began the ride from Washington, D.C., on June 1.
“I love the idea of huge adventures and huge challenges,” said Brian Wagner, 19, a physics and economics major at Harvard who co-teaches the rocket-building workshop.
The challenge taken on by the group is much bigger than a 3,000-mile bike ride — it’s to inspire younger Americans to study fields in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. A 2012 international test found American 15-year-olds ranked 27th globally in science scores and 35th in math.
“By biking into these towns, we show a sense of dedication,” said Drew Bent, 19, a physics and electrical engineering major at MIT. The group teaches three hands-on workshops, with a focus on creativity and letting the students take the lead — “how we wish we were taught,” Bent said.
“Engineering is inherently a very exciting and creative endeavor,” he said.
This is the third year that the group, called Spokes America, has taken the trip. It’s the first such trip, however, for these seven participants. The trip is sponsored by MIT, Texas Instruments and EdX. Teach for America helped in the preparation of the workshops.
“I feel like lots of children are not given the opportunity to express themselves or the opportunity to express their love of science,” said Shadi Fadaee, 20, a Harvard physics major from Tehran, Iran. “They are really bright kids, they just need to be given the opportunity.”
Fadaee, along with Jorge Troncoso of MIT, lead the robot-building workshop. Bent teaches a programming workshop, along with Francesca Childs and Tola Omilana, both of Harvard. Students with Wagner and Simon Shuham of Harvard build rockets using cardboard, a party hat, string and a motor — a program that should prove especially popular in aerospace-heavy Colorado.
Averaging about 70 miles a day, the seven have dealt with injuries, broken bikes and flooded roads, but you will not hear complaining from this group.
The original plan involved camping outside every night, but that changed due to an engineering oversight.
“We found that some of our tents weren’t completely waterproof,” Wagner said. They have been hosted by churches, alumni and hostels, avoiding so far a night in the Honda mini-van loaded with teaching supplies that one of them drives every day.
Their progress can be followed at spokesamerica.com.
Matthew Nussbaum: 303-954-1666, mnussbaum @denverpost.com or twitter.com/ MatthewNussbaum
Updated July 3, at 11 a.m. This article has been revised to reflect the following correction. Originally, due to a reporter’s error, the location for one of the workshops was wrong. It is the Loveland Public Library.
