STEM

Project Lead the Way's California Conference Starts Monday

• By Richard Chang
• 01/20/17

The sixth annual California Project Lead the Way Conference starts Monday in Riverside. About 1,400 students, educators and business professionals are expected to gather at the Riverside Convention Center through Wednesday to witness student inventions and designs, built to solve real-world problems. The STEM-based projects are anticipated to include robotics, engineering, computers and biomedical science.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide learning experiences in engineering, computer and biomedical sciences for K–12 students and teachers across the United States.

Speakers will include Karen Possemato, chief of staff, office of the CEO, and president of Illumina Inc., a San Diego-based company that develops, manufactures and markets integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and biological function; and Andy Weir, computer programmer and author of “The Martian,” which was adapted into a movie in 2015.

Sessions are expected to include an introduction to Google Cardboard and virtual reality programming; a hands-on activity with anatomy and clay; VEX/RobotC programming for the intermediate to advanced user; a course on energy, collisions and launching into success; inventor tips for the intermediate user and a special session presented by Apple.

A full, three-day conference pass is $375 per person. A one-day pass is $175. Student registration on Tuesday, Jan. 24 is free and includes lunch.

For more information, visit the California PLTW site, or call (310) 750-6015.