Local entrepreneur sets up social enterprise to offer STEM workshops on robotics, drones and electronics

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Phil Woodhead discussing ideas with students

A 30-year-old entrepreneur, based in Sai Kung, who has a passion for education and helping to inspire future generations of engineers, scientists, technologists and business leaders has set up a company called BrainSTEM.  The company offers STEM workshops teaching Underwater Robotics, Drones and Electronic Circuits.

BrainSTEM works with schools as a facilitator and tailors workshops for the students, teachers and trainers. The mission of the company is to teach STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, to as many students as possible. The company also supports students with special education needs (SEN) or arranges sponsorship for students and schools with monetary issues.

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2018 MATE HK ROV Competition (Scout and Navigator) at KGV School, with contestants and IEEE OES student organisers.

Phil Woodhead*, the chief executive officer of BrainSTEM, is a member of the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) and the IEEE Consumer Electronic Society (CESoc). He is an Executive Committee member on the IEEE Hong Kong CE/OE Joint Chapter. He also mentors for the Underwater Robotics Team at CityU Apps Lab (CAL), helping them organise the annual MATE Hong Kong ROV Competition (Scout and Navigator) for primary and secondary Schools.

The Underwater Robotics programme offers two versions of robots for students. The first version is the hand-sized Mini Underwater Robot for students aged between 6 to 12. Each student builds a working robot that they take home.

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A student with his modified Mini ROV at a workshop in UWCSEA, Singapore

The second version is a basketball sized Basic Underwater Robot. The Basic Underwater Robot requires a team of 3 to 4 students/friends to build it together. This robot can be used to participate in the annual MATE HK ROV Competitions as well as conducting scientific experiments like underwater mud collection.

The duration of the workshop can be one day, one week or one month depending on the need of the students and schools.

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Three versions of the Basic Underwater Robot modified by students at KGV

For the Aerial Drone Workshops, students learn electrical components of drones, operational skills and safety and legal knowledge.  By the end of the day, participants are able to operate a drone and perform tricks such as flips and fly in reverse.  Carry-on activities include forest canopy  surveys using drones.

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Students assembling and preparing the drones

Phil said BrainSTEM is now working on developing a range of electronic circuit courses involving a weather station, sensors for air, temperature, pressure, particulates and radiation and much more upcoming activities and workshops for students.

All of these STEM programmes can be tailored and adopted as school projects that tie into the students’ IGCSE, IB and AP school curriculum through the collection of data. This provides an edge for students to get into university and for their future careers through these projects.

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The organisers, sponsors and VIP guests of the MATE HK ROV Competition (Scout and Navigator)

For more information or enquiries please visit www.brainstem.hk or contact Phil at phil@brainstem.hk

*Full disclosure:  Phil is a member of the SAI KUNG BUZZ team. He is in charge of advertising sales – phil@hongkongbuzz.com or 9681 1696.

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