Somi, the Computer Scientist®

PROBLEM:

Having worked in IT industry for about two-decades, I was often the only Black woman on the Software Development team.  There is a need to increase the number of girls (especially Black girls) interested and thriving in Computer Science (CS) positions. Recent CS Education Gallup survey shows that only 9% of girls compared to 22% of boys perceive CS as very important which is a trend that has relatively remained the same since 2016.  Also, by the age of 14 many girls (esp. Black girls) would have lost interest in STEM.  

Our independent research depicted that some minority girls perceived learning CS as boring, too complex/intimidating, and/or lacked relatable mentors.  Underrepresented Elementary age schoolers need accessible Computer Science educational solutions that is fun, easy-to-understand, interactive, and relatable to help engage, inspire, and boost their confidence so they could aspire to become STEM innovators.  In this fast-paced digital age, parents and teachers that lack a background in technology are increasingly being tasked with having to introduce basic CS concepts to their students/children.  They would benefit from having more quality supplemental CS educational resources that is accessible to the public.

https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/computer-science-education-in-us-k12schools-2020-report.pdf

SOLUTION:

“Somi, the Computer Scientist®” is an award-winning innovative Computer Science edutainment solution to spark the interest and boost the confidence of underrepresented children to thrive in STEM. Spearheaded by the fictional character Somi [shaw.me], who is intentionally created to be a relatable young 8-year old Black girl who is smart, beautiful, humorous and curious to learn about fundamental Computer Science concepts in a fun way.  Based on feedback from parents, teachers nationwide, and the multiple major media features, our current “Somi, the Computer Scientist®” products are making a big impact:  

I) 14.5” INTERACTIVE SOMI, THE COMPUTER SCIENTIST® DOLL

We created the first-to-market interactive Computer Science (CS) doll name “Somi”, that speaks over 220+ words teaching on eleven CS related terms in a fun and relatable way. The definitions were adapted for early learners for ease-of-understanding and the Somi doll also brings awareness of Cyberbullying in hopes of encouraging better online conduct. The only CS EdTech toy on the market that creatively addresses a core K-12 CS Standards concept area on “Impacts of Computing”.  Terms covered: Algorithm, Artificial Intelligence, Code, Bug, Binary Numbers, Web page, Javascript, HTML, Condition, Loop, Cyberbully, & a Somi greeting.

II) “SOMI, THE COMPUTER SCIENTIST®: PRINCESS CAN CODE” STORYBOOK:

We published a five-star rated educational children’s storybook. Children (especially young girls) get to learn more about the character Somi [shaw.me], her family dynamics, her friends, her fun personality, and her hobbies which makes the fictional character more relatable to the reader.  This captivating chapter & picture-book aims to excite the imagination in every child as they are kept in suspense while a birthday surprise unfolds. The reader is drawn into Somi’s world while learning programming concepts in a fun and exciting way. The storybook helps to correlate basic CS concepts to real life experiences to help increase their knowledge and understanding.

Our storybook contains: 

• Two chapters with 13 captivating illustrations
• Two coding exercises (e.g. “Create your first webpage”)
• 17 Computer Science terms in the glossary
• Access to download the audio-book
• Other programming resource highlights

III) COMPUTER SCIENCE ACTIVITY BOOK FOR GIRLS & BOYS:

Our STEM activity book which is a perfect supplemental educational resource for the classroom and Afterschool programs contains:

• 17 fun unplugged Computer Science (CS) activities
• Covers 16+ CS related terms
• Includes Answer Keys
• Illustrates relatable young girl & boy characters that are interested in various CS related fields 

IV) [IN PROGRESS] ANIMATED SOMI, THE COMPUTER SCIENTIST® EDUCATIONAL CARTOON SERIES

Our brand solutions are currently being used at home worldwide, after-school programs, and in classrooms nationwide; however, to garner a wider reach, gain more visibility and provide more accessible CS EdTech solutions, we are aiming to develop a series of animated “Somi, the Computer Scientist®” short educational videos which would be complimentary with our existing product offerings.

Brief Somi Doll demonstration: https://youtu.be/YRORTl52jiU

The ideal target audience that our "Somi, The Computer Scientist®" products serve are Elementary school aged children (esp. Black girls) between the ages of 5 and 11.  However, we are also providing much needed easy-to-understand teachable Computer Science resources/tools for STEM educators and parents/guardians in underrepresented communities.

There is a need to increase the number of Black women thriving in the Computer Science industry which necessitates educating children as early as elementary school before they lose interest in STEM fields.  The pain points we address is to make learning Computer Science fun, engaging, easy-to-understand, accessible, and depict relatable minority characters.  

Our product brand, "Somi, the Computer Scientist®”, solves this need. Somi's persona was created with the intent that young learners would find her relatable; this would help prepare their minds to better receive the CS knowledge being taught.

The main benefits and value proposition from our solution are:

1. Motivate a girl to aspire to innovate within a STEM discipline
2. Increase a child’s knowledge of fundamental Computer Science (CS) concepts which gives them a sound introduction
3. Boost a girl’s confidence so they believe in themselves 

No more boredom, confusion, or lack of relatable mentors! This is STEM learning reimagined for underrepresented children everywhere.

With combined 34+ years worth of experience in the IT industry, our small team of Computer Science (CS) experts represent the demographics of our target audience so we have experienced their pain points.  We are "big-kids" at heart so we understand how to make fun, and easy-to-learn CS educational content. We think outside-the-box to craft innovative solutions; and most especially, we are committed to serving/uplifting under-served communities. This is not just a business, this is our purpose; and we are great at it.

We provide quality customer service to ensure we are satisfying their needs effectively.  We listen to marketplace feedback through multiple means: Social media commentary, online real-time chat conversations, phone calls, and user feedback surveys.

Our Somi, The Computer Scientist® solution has sold over 4,250 products combined. Served 39+ Elementary schools nationwide

We are applying to the Gender Equity in STEM Challenge because it would be a great opportunity for us to scale our impact to the next level. The community we serve would directly/indirectly benefit from the resources this program provides us such as: effective business support, mentorship, pertinent business advise on scaling and operations, leveraging industry-level connections/partnerships to increase distribution and marketing efforts, being connected to a high value like-minded entrepreneurial network, and adequate financial support to expand our product offering to increase community impact.  We have a huge vision to cultivate millions of underrepresented children (esp. Black girls) into innovators and we acknowledge that we cannot do it alone.  Strategic partnerships are warranted to accomplish this ambitious feat for the greater good of the community we serve.  

Team Lead, Bukola Somide is a Black woman with 17+ in technology industry and a solid background in Computer Science.  She is also the founder of nonprofit CompSci ABC (Computer Science Awareness in Black Communities).  They host FREE community Computer Science awareness programs serving individuals all age groups.  Innovant Technologies has a corporate responsibility to support the community programs at CompSci ABC.  Ms. Somide is committed and passionate about the community she believes she's called to serve.

Given that Black women account for less than 3% in Computer Science professions, "Somi, The Computer Scientist®" is breaking stereotypes and challenging a potential bias being a young Black female cartoon character teaching on fundamental CS concepts.  Somi portrays a smart and beautiful persona to show girls that they can be a princess and want to learn to code too.  It’s not mutually exclusive.  All our products adhere to this same innovative message in various ways.  

With our interactive Somi doll, we cleverly combine doll-play with Computer Science education.  Our “Princess Can Code” storybook showcases an innovative way to introducing readers to CS concepts in a fun way.  For example, the book’s page numbers are translated into their binary code equivalent.  The book includes a CS glossary with 16 term definitions that were referenced throughout the storybook.  The captivating colorful illustrations depict the CS concepts in a fun and creative way to spark the readers imagination.  For example, innovating an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) into an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered interactive holographic image.  Our core compass is to combine entertainment with CS education to foster innovative solutions.

Within the next 1 to 5 years, our goal is to increase our reach by 10,000+ customers in year 1 and 100,000+ by year 5. We aim to accomplish these goals by developing more "Somi, The Computer Scientist®" product offerings. 

1) An animated educational short cartoon series which would be made available on a public platform for greater visibility, will serve as a lead magnet to promote our other existing EdTech solutions.  

2) We plan to develop a Computer Science Game-Based Learning (GBL) app that can be utilized in a traditional and non-traditional learning environments.  This software application will further provide edutainment for our target audience. We plan to achieve these goals through non-dilutive grant funding efforts and with revenue from current product sales.

1.) TARGET: By 2025, spark the interest of 50,000+ underrepresented children to pursue STEM.  

1.1) INDICATOR: The number of Somi products sold combined

1.2) INDICATOR: The number of views on the animated Somi, the Computer Scientist educational shorts/videos

2.) TARGET: By 2030, spark the interest of 500,000+ underrepresented children to pursue STEM.    

2.1) INDICATOR: The number of Somi products sold combined

2.2) INDICATOR: The number of views on the animated Somi, the Computer Scientist educational shorts/videos

2.3) INDICATOR: The number of unique user profiles of the Somi, the Computer Scientist Game-Based Learning App

The best way to describe the impact our solution is having is to provide you with feedback from real customers/educators:

Victor, a 1st grade teacher - stated that having the Somi doll in the classroom has been such a positive experience! Many students who weren't initially buying into computer science concepts are now interested, and Somi has made some computer science concepts more accessible to all of [their] young learners!

OR 

Borislava, a 2nd & 3rd teacher - said thank you so much for introducing [her] to such a wonderful way to help kids understand and enjoy more Computer Science.  Their student really enjoyed all the activities and were thrilled that they got to keep the activity books. 

OR

Dorcus, a grandmother who says her granddaughter looks at Somi and says “She’s Smart & Beautiful just like me”.

And last but not least, this customer feedback has been the most profound:

Shaun, the mother of an 9-yr old girl said, with great enthusiasm, that the Somi doll is the best because her daughter is now talking about reprogramming the voice box so it could say whatever she wanted and she started talking about engineering other things in the house which is something her daughter had never expressed interest before. Shaun then proceeds to thank me and says I may have just created another Black engineer.

THE RECENT FORBES ARTICLE BELOW ALSO SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR SOLUTIONS LIKE SOMI, THE COMPUTER SCIENTIST: https://www.forbes.com/sites/f...

• Bukola Somide, Founder/CEO (Full-time)
• Muyiwa Somide, Fractional CTO (Part-time)
• **Contractors are hired as needed**

"Somi, The Computer Scientist®" solutions brand was started in 2017.  We have successfully developed four unique product SKUs excluding merchandise since inception.

We value people, honesty, integrity, and quality of work.  We do not discriminate against any person for their background, gender, and/or race.  We value people that are passionate and submitted to our mission, purpose, and vision as a company, and possess the skillsets needed to help reach our goals.

We operate with a Direct-to-Consumer and Business-to-Business model.  Our current products being sold on our eCommerce website, on Amazon.com, and through various social media platforms.  We engage with organizations and school districts to get our supplemental educational products into the classroom.