The TechKit

Tools for your discoveries

In a world filled with so many diverse minds, the traditional classroom environment, one that is influenced by socioeconomic status amongst other factors, can fall short when it comes to engaging and developing a student’s potential. Drawing from our experiences as students, we see the power of hands-on teaching. As two MIT alumnae, we understand the ability for education to increase the number of opportunities that a student encounters. Our understanding of the problem of unequal educational backgrounds and opportunities form the core foundation of this project.

Different initiatives, particularly those online, are in place to aid self-starters and self-teachers.  A wealth of knowledge is available online in the form of classes, videos and reading material. Many of these resources are free and allow the student to revisit a concept and learn it at his/her own pace. We want to go a step further with The TechKit. Instead of merely being a consumer, we provide tools in each kit to help the student self-discover and engage with the material.

The TechKit box contains a set of affordable tools that can be used to teach students fundamentals in science and technology and allow them to explore the concepts themselves. The TechKit is made for the students who are curious and want to discover the world of science. It is meant as a way to break down barriers when it comes to learning resources. Each box is dedicated to a particular subject in science and engineering. These kits come with affordable tools, games and/or instructions for the student to engage with, along with a podcast in relation to the overall subject of the kit, from a scientist currently in the field. There will even be “Mystery Kits,” which add more excitement to learning. A student who obtains a Mystery Kit will not know its hidden subject matter until opening the kit. Each Mystery Kit will touch upon topics not covered in other TechKits in a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary way.

We want TechKits to change the way students around the world learn. It will no longer be a matter of memorization and regurgitation, but a matter of creative exploration and discovery – something we often need as scientists and engineers. TechKits will give a new definition to "thinking outside of the box." Most importantly, TechKits creates options. Students can learn with hands-on activities, watch or listen to a podcast from current scientists in the field, or use other resources to learn about a subject through the TechKit website. Anywhere with a screen and an internet connections, young scientists can join a community of discovery and expand their knowledge.

The purpose of this project is to provide students from all backgrounds with an exposure to different science and engineering fields, at an affordable price. The aspect of this project that makes it innovative is its teaching methodology. Though the idea of learning through discovery is not novel, the tools and tactics in TechKits to do so are. The activities, along with the reading materials and online learning community, tackles a long-standing problem with a new perspective. Through low-cost and accessible technology, we aim to provide a new way for students to learn through hands-on learning and discovery.

We strive to expose students to the fundamentals of science through low-cost, simple technology that allows them to learn through their own discoveries. From the use of materials such as household cleaning items to extract a student’s DNA, to the use of a Foldscope origami microscope to view said DNA, technology is an integral portion of each TechKit. Along with the tools to provide students with hands-on learning experiences, our online component consists of podcasts and community activities that take learning one step further. With technology, our students will tap into their creativity.

Over the next year, we would like to develop at least five fully functional TechKits, create 5 podcasts, set up our fully functional website, and test our kits with at least 300 students. We also hope to foster a relationship with suppliers and set ourselves up as a non-profit organization.

We see ourselves selling TechKits online, establishing an online community that allows students to play educational games, and providing TechKits to students globally. We also envision the creation of new kits in order to offer a broader selection of subjects. We strive to have at least 20 kits and podcast episodes by the 3rd year. Finally, we envision working with online platforms and MOOCs such as EdX and Khan Academy to develop lesson plans and their associated TechKits. The diversification of TechKits, as well as the collaboration with educational institutions will allow us to impact more students as TechKits grow.

Given the fact that we hope for TechKits to span multiple topics while also fostering online learning, we believe that we can first reach our customers by testing the products with students locally (Atlanta, New Jersey, New York, Boston, Seattle) with a focus on low-income communities. We hope to engage students and encourage them to try out multiple kits. We will be providing kits at a maximum price of $10 or sponsored for free, which also lowers the barriers to obtain the product. We plan to have everything available for purchase online, whether by individuals or classrooms.

We are in the early prototyping phase of development; therefore, we do not have a population that we are currently serving.

Our population will initially consist of elementary age students, but can expand to middle/high school students. These students will not be determined by socioeconomic status or any other demographic–any child that wants to gain an interest, can. The main goal of this solution is to give students insight into fields they may have never known existed, and to develop foundational knowledge in engineering and the sciences that makes sense to them personally.

We plan to use our research experience, teaching experience, and footing in academia to access information to share through the TechKits. We both love learning together even though we are from different majors. For us, learning something new every day is essential, and with our enthusiasm and experience, we can make a real impact. When it comes to the low-cost tools provided in the kits, tool manufacturers constitute a particularly important resource. We believe that our organization’s goals and the potential ubiquity of our product in classrooms can act as points of interest to develop relationships with these suppliers.

We plan to use a production model for selling the TechKits. Given that we hope to found a sustainable non-profit organization, we anticipate two sources of funds: donors and revenue from selling the kits. We believe that the ability to sell the kits at a markup while maintaining a price ceiling of around $10 will allow us to continue to improve and expand the product and make it more financially accessible. We also strive to provide TechKits at no cost to students who are not able to afford the kits themselves.  

When it comes to expansion, we hope to not only have a physical aspect of this project, but also an online portion for students to interact with and form learning communities. We see several opportunities for expansion in terms of subjects to teach. We envision TechKits that span several subjects in the sciences, engineering and beyond.

Finally, we will collaborate with educational institutions to improve TechKits to suit the needs of teachers and students, alike. Research institutions can provide information about cutting-edge technology to include in new TechKits and podcasts. Collaborations with elementary and middle schools will provide exposure to our target demographics and useful feedback.

Besides the funding, we need the experience and mentorship of people in various industries in order to give every kit a chance to change the life of a student. Our experience stems mostly from mechanical engineering and biology, but we want a broad range of subjects available. Within the Solve community are members with diverse interests and experiences in science and technology, and we believe their expertise will allow us to make more of an impact and gain new perspectives to create a better product. We want the opportunity to utilize as many resources from Solve as possible.

One of the main barriers we face is how to reach a large number of students. Currently, our team’s educational network is nonexistent outside of our undergraduate career at MIT. Along with elementary and middle schools, we would like to get into contact with academics at the forefront of their research around the world. We want a diverse set of researchers to highlight the immense opportunities a student has in these fields, no matter where they come from. We believe SOLVE will play a major role in expanding our network.