ARDC helps high school computer science students become manufacturers
Raser’s challenge was to acquire enough material for all the students in his class. With limited resources, his program was limited to a small number of students.
A grant of $ 9,950 from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), a private foundation, is a game-changer. The grant will allow Raser to give all of its students the opportunity to participate. The funds will allow him to provide students with Raspberry Pi, Micro: bits, Arduinos and other parts they need to express their creativity and become makers. In addition, he transforms part of his class into a makerspace accessible to all students of California High School.
According to Raser, “The results have been extraordinary. Students’ creativity and passion for learning truly flourishes through their ability to bring their own ideas to life. A student, for example, uses a Raspberry Pi Zero and a variety of sensors to record flight data during a miniature rocket launch. Another built an automated occupancy sensor using a Raspberry Pi and RFID sensors. Raser hopes these experiences will push these students into careers as engineers and scientists and change our world.
About California High School
California High School’s mission is to educate, empower and inspire all students, promote academic and personal growth, foster healthy interests, and develop resilient mindsets and self-efficacy, guiding all students to become ethical and global citizens.
About ARDC
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and Internet communication technology. The organization began by managing the allocations of the AMPRNet address space, which is intended for licensed amateur radio operators worldwide. In addition, ARDC provides grants to projects and organizations that follow the practice and tradition of amateur radio technical experimentation in the areas of amateur radio and digital communication science. Such experimentation has led to vast advances for the benefit of the general public, such as mobile telephony and wireless Internet technology. ARDC envisions a world where all of these technologies are available through open source hardware and software, and where everyone has the ability to innovate on them.