The students who hacked STEM education | Tom Heck | TEDxGreenville

Passionate about engineering, design, and fueling kids' excitement to learn and help others, this member of the maker movement shares an innovative initiative.

Tom is an educator, maker, and community organizer. He has worked in education and community development for over 25 years. Tom started his career working with teenagers in juvenile corrections facilities and then worked as a Technology Education high school teacher in the Washington, DC area. With an increased desire to broaden his efforts, Tom became a Senior Director for the YMCA, where he developed in-school and out-of-school programs for K12 students. Tom’s work for the YMCA led him to develop a company serving 4,000 education professionals in 35 countries. He now brings his passion for engineering, design, and K12 learning to his work at Purdue University in the EPICS K12 program.

Tom has invented and licensed products, authored several books and multimedia products, and facilitated groups across the US. He has worked as a consultant and contract trainer with some of the most successful companies in the US including Franklin-Covey and the Center for Creative Leadership.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx