In partnership with the Indiana University School of Education, TechPoint Foundation for Youth is thrilled to announce our newest program: the Design It Make It Challenge!
Design It Make It has been created to promote and celebrate the convergence of designing and making in a world supported by digital technologies. Modeled after inquiry-based learning models, Design It Make It allows students to use play, imagination, innovation, and critical thinking to solve a real-world challenge that changes each year.
Our pilot program with 20 schools was a huge success and culminated with the Design It Make It showcase hosted on Saturday, March 10th at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2019 Indiana VEX Robotics State Championship. This year’s challenge was to create a solution that improves human health. Six teams were selected as finalists and invited to present their projects at the showcase. Three awards were given:
Judges Top Award: Adams Central Jr/Sr. High - Monroe, IN
Design It Award: Binford Elementary School - Bloomington, IN
Make It Award: Riverside Intermediate School - Fishers, IN
At this year’s Mira Awards gala on Saturday, April 13th, both Salesforce and Angie's List provided $10,000 gifts in response to TPF4Y's challenge to raise funds to expand our Design It Make It program. Paired with the generous financial contributions of the Mira attendees, we raised $38,000 to support the participation of more than 1,000 students in the Design It Make It challenge during the upcoming school year!
4th graders from University Elementary in Bloomington display their project: The Reading Treehouse.
6th graders from Fishers-based Riverside Intermediate School’s Engineering Design Team submitted a project entitled Global Predator Protection: Solutions for Zero Hunger, which received the Make It Award.
8th graders from Adams Central Middle School in Monroe, Indiana, pose with their project: Toilet Transfer, which received the Judges Top Award.