On Saturday, March 9, 2024, students participating in the third STEMarts Youth Bootcamp at the UNM Taos HIVE enjoyed a special treat as they welcomed guests from Spaceport (Charles Hurley), NASA (Arwen Hubbard), and LANL (Dr. Nicole Lloyd-Ronning, astrophysicist) to explore the wonders of space science. Following this inspiring morning session, the students spent the afternoon diving into the world of 3D modeling software. They learned how to create animated objects and then had the opportunity to import their creations into an augmented reality app. This allowed them to experience their AR creations firsthand through their mobile devices, providing them with an exciting opportunity to share their newfound skills with peers and family.
The STEMarts Youth Bootcamps provide earn-to-learn training opportunities where students learn a new skill and then become paid instructors. This time, we hired UNM alumni/STEMarts Ambassador, Ian Harrison, to lead the Blender workshop with Julia Doke, a UNM ABQ graduating student. Both are skilled digital artists/3D Animators. They also created 3D art models for the ACSP event. Shaylee Mirabal, TPETD apprentice, continues to serve as Apprentice Director Assistant helping with the workshop organizing as well as training. Our 2024 apprentice cohort has now been trained to create their own AR experiences, which will be presented at the next STEM[AR]T event. Special thanks to UNM HIVE for sponsoring and hosting the STEMarts Youth Bootcamps which are upskilling our students for the new space economy. Special thanks to the Lor Foundation which is allowing us to develop a space literacy curriculum that we are beta testing at these Bootcamps, and to the Encantado Foundation and LANL Foundation for sponsoring the Apprentice and Ambassador program in 2024!
