On March 7, students gathered for a full day of hands-on building, designing, and problem-solving at Dallas SWE’s annual Design Your World STEM conference. This year’s conference marked another successful year, thanks to our dedicated volunteers, partners, and enthusiastic students, all working together to create an unforgettable learning experience!
A Special Thank You to Our Host
Dallas SWE extends our deepest gratitude to Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation (VMYDF) for their generous support in making Design Your World possible. Thank you for opening doors, sparking curiosity, and helping our students discover that the world is theirs to design.
Day of Exploration and Learning
With curiosity as their compass and creativity as their tool, young innovators tackled four exciting challenges that brought science, technology, engineering, and math to life:
✅Mechanical Engineering: Students explored the engineering design process and learned how to apply engineering principles while designing and building a flotation device.
✅Biomedical Engineering: Students learned about robot assisted surgery and got to build their own cardboard robotic hands to take home.
✅Civil/Structural Engineering: Students learned basic principles of structures/stability and how apply design techniques to solve a hands-on challenge and improve a physical design under constraints.
✅Biology: Students learned how humans are all made of the same DNA building blocks, but small differences in our genes create the unique traits that make each of us who we are.
Throughout the day, students got to ask questions, get hands-on guidance, and hear firsthand what it actually looks like to pursue a career in STEM. Whether they were troubleshooting a wobbly marshmallow-pasta tower or fine-tuning the grip on a robotic hand, there was a volunteer right there alongside them, showing students that engineers are real people who solve real problems. For many students, this kind of direct interaction was just as impactful as the activities themselves.
Design Your World was more than just a STEM event, it was a reminder that engineering is everywhere. Our students spent a day asking questions, making mistakes, trying again, and building things they were proud of. They learned that problem-solving isn’t always neat or linear, and that the best ideas often come when you’re willing to get a little messy.
Recognizing Our Incredible Volunteers and Sponsors
A huge thank you to all of our volunteers, a remarkable group of industry professionals, practicing engineers, and engineering students, who helped make this event possible. Special recognition goes to our activity leads: Isabel Wetegrove, Savitha Pinnepalli, Chenai Sukume, and Adeola Adediran. Thank you for all you did that brought each activity to life in a way that went far beyond the classroom.
We would also like to thank our incredible sponsors, Walter P Moore, Garver, Dave & Lynn Mortensen, whose generosity and commitment to STEM outreach continue to drive the success of Design Your World.
If you would like to sponsor Design Your World or partner with Dallas SWE, please reach out to us at dallas.swe@gmail.com to get involved!
