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Over the past several weeks, our second grade STEM team has taken on the final MIT Challenge of the year: Teamworks! Building for Community. This challenge was led by MIT Mechanical Engineer Assistant Professor Kaitlyn Becker, who works alongside engineers and artists to make building construction more environmentally friendly through creative art forms. Students were challenged to use unconventional materials to build something amazing, something that could only be accomplished through teamwork.
Taking this challenge to heart, our second grade STEM students wanted to create something meaningful for their own community. Partnering with a local animal shelter, students worked together to use recycled materials to design and build useful items for the animals in the shelter's care.
As the project grew, students realized they could do even more to help. Using their knowledge of 3D printing and design, they created custom pet tags for donors in an effort to raise funds for the shelter.
Through their creativity, teamwork, and dedication, the second grade STEM team raised a total of RMB 5,193.38 to support the shelter's efforts to feed and care for the 300 dogs and 200 cats currently living there.
Through this challenge, students discovered how engineering and empathy can work together to make a meaningful difference. This service project is a powerful example of how STEM education can extend beyond the classroom and make a real-world impact. Our second graders worked tirelessly running booths, designing pet tags, and finding creative ways to support animals in need.
The second grade STEM team would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped us “build community” together and make a positive difference for some of the often-forgotten members of our community—animals in need.
Through our participation in the MIT–NAE STEAM Collaboration, this year DAIS students took part in three global challenges, exploring ideas from nanotechnology to space design and sustainable innovation.
