On Thursday, our Young Scholars in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades embarked on an amazing learning field trip to the Thinkabit Lab by Qualcomm on Virginia Tech's local campus in Falls Church, Virginia. While at the lab, students dove into the realms of design, programming, and inventive thinking. The experience provided an invaluable opportunity for students to immerse themselves in hands-on learning, fostering creativity and innovation.

Students began the trip in an information and brainstorming session geared at empowering tomorrow's workforce. Students imagined their future in varying roles in tech and innovation and explored the benefits to each position. Students took part in a rich discussion about innovation and invention that led us to our hands-on learning activities.

Students moved to the next door Lab to begin their hands-on activities building with Arduino microcontroller motherboards. They were guided through two opportunities to build with the Arduino boards. First, they drafted schematics, or a simplified diagram with scientific symbols, to build a traffic light and a Servo mini-propeller system, then began methodically affixing wires, LEDs, resistors, and a power source to watch their machines come to life.

After a quick lunch break, students were tasked at creating an invention or innovation. They were given the tools they had just learned and practiced with as well as access to the Lab's maker space. Some students created new innovations based on fresh ideas learned on the field trip and some invented brand new ideas they'd just dreamt up. Overall, this field trip was a massive success for our students. 

If you're interested in learning more about Qualcomm's Thinkabit Lab programs, please visit their website at https://thinkabitlab.com/program