The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council hosted the Massachusetts premiere of Underwater Dreams on Thursday evening (8/7). Underwater Dreams is an inspiring story about four young men and two committed educators from a low-resourced community in Arizona, who formed a high school underwater robotics team, took on college and university powerhouses (MIT among them) and won. The film screening, held at The Museum of Science, drew an audience of over 300 industry, education and policy leaders from across our state. The film explores many issues that are important to those working in STEM education and demonstrates the power that lies in access to STEM opportunities.
Lorenzo Santillan, one of the four team members responsible for building Stinky (the winning underwater robot), participated in a panel following the screening to discuss his experience and the tremendous work we have ahead to ensure that all young people have access to opportunities that prepare them for success in college and career. Lorenzo was joined on the panel by Congressman Joseph Kennedy, Colin Angle (Co-founder and CEO of iRobot), Dr. Woodie Flowers (Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and long-time adviser to the FIRST Robotics Competition), Jeb Bush Jr. (Executive Producer) and Mary Mazzio (Director).
Congratulations to Mary Mazzio and her crew on a beautiful film that highlights transformative STEM education at work.
If you are an educator, I urge you to watch the film and share it with your students, peers, administration and community. For more information about how to view the film, visit www.underwaterdreamsfilm.com.
Read the MA Department of Higher Education STEM Nexus blog post