STEM Center USA is a company focusing on introducing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to children at younger ages through hands-on projects and activities. We here at EAF, of course, fully support these types of efforts as we too try to do our part in diversifying the fields of engineering & bringing the concept of a future career in the STEM fields to as many people as possible. As it turns out, this passion for spreading engineering to everyone possible is not the only thing that STEM Center USA & EAF have in common.
About Stem Center USA
The two founders of the company, sisters Lavanya & Melissa Jawaharlal (a mechanical engineering senior at UC Berkeley & a mechanical engineering grad from USC, respectively), turn out to be the daughters of Dr. Mariappan “Jawa” Jawaharlal, a professor from Cal Poly Pomona that a few of us here at EAF have taken classes with in the past! Small world, huh? It would also appear that many of the STEM Center USA instructors are current Cal Poly Pomona students. Just another reason for us to proudly show some support for this awesome company. STEM Center USA was recently awarded a $200,000 dollar deal on ABC’s hit investment reality TV show Shark Tank, which will help them to establish & grow their company, bringing STEM to children everywhere!
Lavanya brings her background in STEM robotics programs to the table, while Melissa brings some of the same experience, along with some industry expereince with Raytheon Co.’s Space & Airborne Systems group. Between the two of them, they excel at creating fun & educational opportunities for children 5 years & up (with classes for Pre-K, Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, & even College-level available) to get involved in STEM-related projects & to help children start to develop the engineering mindset at a younger age. Typical activities/projects through STEM Center USA consist of creativity/problem-solving skills development workshops, computer programming, robotics projects, & entry-level physics. Classes are available throughout Southern California, although they are currently focused in the Pomona & Chino Hills areas.
Kickstarter Campaigns
- The Technical Alphabet. Photo Credit: STEM Center USA (Click link to access Kickstarter Campaign)
On top of this, the sisters have also begun creating Kickstarter campaigns to fund DIY projects such as programmable robotics kits, wearable electronics, & even a children’s book that focuses on introducing engineering to young children!
Congratulations to the STEM Center USA family, as well as the Jawaharlal & Cal Poly Pomona families are in order. We here at EAF wish you all the best moving forward & can’t wait to see what you crank out next!