No screens, no candies, no toys, no instant gratification. Thousands of kids at The Tech Challenge 2017 wanted something more. They wanted to try their hand at being engineers.
On April 29, a few colleagues from Palo Alto Networks and I volunteered to be judges at The Tech Museum of Innovation’s signature event, held in the heart of Silicon Valley in downtown San Jose, California. As judges, we had the honor of interacting with fourth- to sixth-graders. They captivated us with their approach to engineering, problem-solving and iterative experimentation. There is something spectacular about interacting with kids who are so passionate about innovatively combining technology and building with their hands, rather than interacting with technology only through computers and mobile devices.
This year’s The Tech Challenge centered on the theme of “Rock the Ravine.” Months prior to the event, students in grades 4–12 were presented with the challenge to design a device to help explorers cross an ice field with multiple ravines. More than 2,500 students responded to this year’s challenge with innovation, teamwork and healthy doses of creativity.
Insights From The Tech Challenge
By spending a day with the young developers, each of the other volunteer judges and I walked away with valuable lessons. Here are a few of mine:
The Tech Challenge started 30 years ago and has been inspiring kids to find solutions to real-world problems, such as harnessing the wind to move water to people who need it – and even beyond Earth, such as creating solutions to deploy scientific instruments from spacecraft to asteroids. The raw wonder of young minds is refreshing. The final products these students have developed are truly remarkable.
I look forward to competing in next year’s The Tech Challenge with my girls, and I know they will absolutely love it. To our future innovators: let the learning begin!
Register for Ignite ’17 Security Conference
Vancouver, BC June 12–15, 2017
Ignite ’17 Security Conference is a live, four-day conference designed for today’s security professionals. Hear from innovators and experts, gain real-world skills through hands-on sessions and interactive workshops, and find out how breach prevention is changing the security industry. Visit the Ignite website for more information on tracks, workshops and marquee sessions.
By submitting this form, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Statement. Please look for a confirmation email from us. If you don't receive it in the next 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.