MURPHYSBORO, Ill. – Jackson County 4-H member Michelle Wang is sharing her passion for STEM and AI with local youth through virtual and in-person learning. As the daughter of two longtime 4-H volunteers, Michelle is a self-proclaimed "4-H kid at heart." Michelle discovered 4-H at an archery booth when she was in fifth grade, and she joined the local 4-H archery and computing clubs soon after. STEM also became a focus as she started Scratch programming, quickly progressing to working with VEX robotics.
This spring, Michelle joined 20 other youth on the 2021-2022 Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team (YLT), where they provide an invaluable "youth voice" to our University of Illinois Extension State 4-H program. Michelle also serves on the Space Mission Control Team. She works alongside the Illinois 4-H STEM Team and University of Illinois Aerospace Engineering Small Satellite Team to help develop and test an Arduino-based satellite called a CubeSat.
In 2020, with support from the Garwin Family Foundation, Michelle attended the Stanford AI4ALL virtual summer camp, which led to an opportunity for her to teach Artificial Intelligence to 4-H members from five counties through a virtual 4-H STEM club from October 2020 to April 2021.
This summer, with continued support from the Garwin Family Foundation, Michelle will attend the Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Racing course offered by MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI). This 4-week remote course teaches students various drone-related topics. Michelle was also awarded the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) Momentum Grant that allowed her to purchase mini quadcopters for use in a series of hands-on drone workshops in the coming weeks for Unity Point School participants. Michelle will lead participants as they explore drone technologies, gain experience flying a drone, and learn how to write simple programs to control the drone.
To learn more about STEM opportunities available through 4-H, visit: https://4h.extension.illinois.edu/programs/stem-robotics
WRITER: Heather Willis, marketing and communications coordinator, hdwillis@illinois.edu, (618) 357-2126
SOURCE: Becky Needham, 4-H program coordinator, bneedham@illinois.edu, (618) 687-1727
ABOUT EXTENSION: Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities.
ABOUT ILLINOIS 4-H: Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension and administered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. 4-H grows true leaders, youth who are empowered for life today and prepared for a career tomorrow. The hands-on approach in 4-H gives young people guidance, tools, and encouragement and puts them in the driver's seat to make great things happen. Independent research confirms the unparalleled impact of the 4-H experience, demonstrating that young people are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.