Beaver Works Institute expands STEM education access
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In 2016, staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT School of Engineering launched the Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) to provide hands-on STEM education to high school students.
Robert Shin spearheaded the creation of BWSI after a colleague challenged him to extend the resources of Beaver Works, a joint education and research center.
The program began with 46 students taking a single robotics course and has since grown to serve over 440 students annually with 14 courses covering areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. BWSI broadened its reach beyond the summer program by offering spring and fall outreach programs for students in grades 9 to 11, including a program called “Girls Who Can” aimed at encouraging young women in STEM fields.
In 2022 and 2023, the institute also launched national challenges based on course material, extending learning into an eight-month team format. The program's success has inspired similar initiatives in countries including Greece, Japan, and Canada, as well as within schools and universities across the United States. Organisers at Beaver Works hope to expand access to programs like BWSI so that all interested students can participate and learn.
Former students, like Diptanshu Sikdar, have returned as teaching assistants and credit BWSI with providing the foundation for their careers.
