If you were making a list of global STEM/high-tech hot spots, you’d have Massachusetts high in the rankings, thanks to the density--Cambridge and Boston, MIT and Harvard, Kendall Square, Rt. 128, etc. Our economy is humming. Our high schools have some great test scores, and we’re full of colleges and universities. On and on. It’s part of why we in Massachusetts often tend to think of ourselves as the best and the brightest.
If you care to look a bit deeper, however, you’d discover a deeply rooted equity challenge. Opportunities for high-quality learning remain unevenly distributed across the Commonwealth. Achievement measured broadly remains unacceptably low in too many schools, and what goes on in our schools and classrooms looks remarkably as it did before the 1993 Ed Reform Act passed. Resultingly, many of our high-tech giants do the bulk of their recruiting in other regions, even other countries. There’s a case to be made that we, as a larger Massachusetts community of K-12, higher education, commerce and community organizations, are not doing a great job at inviting a cross-section of our home-grown youth into serious, well-designed, extended programming to prepare them to join in.
That’s why people here or wherever a similar situation exists should know about Innovators for Purpose. If it concerns you that so many young people are bypassed by a world of high-tech careers -biotech & pharma, programming, aerospace, finance, climate change technologies-- there are lessons in what iFp does and how they do it. If you have STEM programs in your schools or community that seem to only reach the best and the brightest, we can do better. I’ve seen it first-hand. When I was asked recently for a quote about iFp’s work, here’s what I said: "There are few initiatives nationally that combine a commitment to youth and career development AND the sophisticated learning platform to support the scholarship required in the high-tech fields. iFp has proven that they're unique and high performing in that critical realm.” And I believe every word of it.
iFp is a great American story. Three years ago, I first heard about Michael Dawson and Innovators for Purpose. A former engineer who left a stellar career in engineering and high-tech sales to found iFp, Dawson has put together a posse committed to developing young hearts and minds while introducing them to a new world of possible careers. Positive Youth Development meets STEM.
Soft-spoken and thoughtful, Dawson grew up in the shadow of the space program in Cocoa, FL, watching in his under-resourced neighborhood as NASA rockets blasted off, hardly imagining that he might someday have access to the math and science careers that undergird that world. As he recalls, an 11th grade guidance counselor suggested that he check out a new program after school, collaborating with RCA, Corp. to introduce young people to electronic engineering. The math that he had been strong in, now had an application that appealed to Dawson. He began to connect the dots as he moved easily in two worlds –his neighborhood and his new world of talented minds, scholarship, design, collaborative thinking, making and building. As he moved on to the University of South Florida, he made two friends who shared similar stories, including the same penchant for engineering, and a third friend was made when he came to Massachusetts in 1987.
Dawson explains: “The four of us had grown up in under-resourced communities, and like today, sports and entertainment seemed to us to be the way to a better life. But somehow -one of life’s mysteries- the four of us had discovered engineering, gotten good at it, and it changed the trajectory of our lives, in a big way. It gave us the access, the resources, the experiences and connections to be part of a career world we hadn’t imagined.”
“Despite our success, whenever we got together, we always ended up asking, how come there wasn’t greater interest in STEM careers among young people coming up? It seemed to us, four men of color who were succeeding, that key elements were missing. Concepts, connections, and possibilities germane to our own experience, somehow weren’t being made available to many of today’s youth.”
“So…. I had spent 20 years in engineering, marketing and sales in high-tech. That world had appeal on so many levels --the high-level problem-solving, smart colleagues, the excitement of big-league sales, the expense accounts --how could I walk away? But we needed to take these issues on and I suddenly found myself in search of a calling. What could we do to spark student interest, to help young people -especially those in under-resourced communities- imagine a future, an identity, as a professional in the STEM world –a world where so many critical 21st century careers would be found?”
In March 2014, Dawson founded Innovators for Purpose with those same long-time friends. With no fanfare, or any institutional or financial backing, iFp was born.
The mission of Innovators for Purpose (iFp) is to spark student interest, especially those in under-resourced communities, to develop their identity as professionals in Design, Science, Technology & Entrepreneurial careers; becoming producers in the fastest growing sectors of our economy, while simultaneously changing the trajectory of their lives.
To build the organization he envisioned, Dawson realized that he had to tap into the brillant minds walking the streets of Cambridge. His pitch was simple. iFp provides a rare opportunitiy to do incredibly creative work, helping young people who are typically the last ones to receive such cutting-edge instruction.
Through that outreach, lots of coffee and persistence, he brought together an an all-star cast of players including: Mark Ottensmeyer, an MIT PhD, who directs MGH Medical Device and Simulation Laboratory provides robotics instruction and support; Ela Ben-Ur, an MIT graduate, Olin College of Engineering adjunct faculty member and former IDEO designer informs the design methodology underlying all iFp programming; Matt Kressy, Founder and Director of the MIT Integrated Design and Management program has been an iFp mentor and partner since day the early going; and MIT graduate Joe Diaz, Program Coordinator for MIT’s Office of Open Learning, helps integrate advanced math and science hands-on learning --and that’s only a small number of the many iFp contributors. The iFp posse committed its efforts to reimagining how STEM is taught to “non-traditional” STEM learners. And, through its work, aspires to reveal the magic of innovation, in the belief that innovation not only can help society progress, but also help the innovators themselves.
Michael’s wife, Donna Dawson, joined the founding team later in 2014 to lend her expertise in arts education and youth engagement. Her reputation for promoting caring, safe and inclusive learning environments helped shaped the initial projects and process. iFp’s intent is that youth remain engaged in their programming from initial introduction in middle school through high school graduation. Donna’s work is critical in building those long-term relationships. She serves as iFp’s Director of Student & Family Engagement and Creative Director.
Dawson explains, “It’s important to note that although we use the acronym STEM, it’s mostly out of convenience. Our preferred term is integrated creative problem solving (iCps). STEM historically has been taught in a very siloed manner. In the design of our iFp learning activities, the lines between Math, Science, Social Studies and other subjects are erased. We start with areas of student interest --music, art, movies, as well as social & community issues. From there learning takes an unexpected, yet fundamental turn introducing underlying STEM concepts relevant to the topic. We have found this approach extremely inviting to non-traditional STEM learners, increasing the pool of would-be engineers, scientists and problem-solvers.”
The Cambridge Public Library which initially served as a program host, has become a major friend and partner. iFp is helping the library build its STEAM Academy as part of a citywide STEAM intitivative to enhance and expand students’ access to quality STEAM learning experiences. Additionally, iFp students are creating a communication campaign to increase awareness of the library’s new makerspace. The teens are using a variety of communication tools including social media and XR technologies to ensure the messaging reaches new audiences.
Over the past five years iFp has worked with hundreds of students and dozens of friends and collaborators reimagining how STEM subject matter can be taught. In their programs, from initial introduction (usually at the middle school level), through high school graduation, students work intensively with professionals doing hands-on, real-world projects. That process helps students discover their passions while developing analytical abilities, creative capacities and furthering an intrinsic drive.
Donna and Michael Dawson
IFP now divides its programming into two facets: iFp Labs for middle school students and iFp Studios for high-school students. Dawson does his best to lead with compelling, student-oriented approaches. Rather than straight-up robotics, developing machines that vacuum or haul packages, iFp poses an inquiry framework such as “How Robots Make a Difference?”, where students conceptualize, design and build machines that assist people with disabilities, medical challenges and/or unique needs around the home or outside in the world. In iFp, students are drawn to themes that ask questions about fairness, about social and economic justice.
Another person who thinks big about developing our nation’s youth, Ron Walker, founder and Executive Director of COSEBOC had this to say about iFp: “I think they cover a wide territory that is critically important. The future success of America rests in its ability to widen and unclog the pipeline of opportunities for every student and especially those who are the cities’ most marginalized, undervalued, and underserved. The genius that is in these students, resides within walking distance of Cambridge’s innovation and technology zone.”
iFp Teens work is increasingly visible in Cambridge. The Looking Glass a 5-foot aluminum sculpture installed in the heart of bustling Kendall Square, serves as a permanent testament of iFp Studio’s capabilities. In response to a call from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority for creative interventions in the built environment, iFp Teens designed an interactive sculpture to showcase the city’s transformation from an industrial powerhouse into a biotech and tech mecca. The sculpture is linked to a website with a growing repository of stories to help inform the city’s visitors, workers, and residents of its rich history and exciting future. A smartphone app that will enable participatory audio will soon be added.
Kendall Square, Cambridge
From initial design through installation, the Looking Glass was a 2-year project. Several students from the original design team persisted for the entire 2-year process, learning and practicing habits that are difficult to mimic in traditional classroom learning . In May 2020, another 2-year project, called the Genius of Main Street will be installed. The Genius project recognizes the inventive spirit of Kendall in an inclusive manner. The hope is that all visitors will see themselves in the installation and will one day make their own mark in Kendall or elsewhere.
Dawson concludes, “We’re well under way, but of course we’d like to have more friends, more innovators on our team, and more places to spread the seeds”.
You can follow them on Instagram or at InnovatorsforPupose.org to witness the magic of innovation, to join the crew, or to get iFp for your school or program. I’ve become one of those friends Michael was looking for, and one of his board members, by the way. I hope you’ll take a look as well. There’s a lot to learn from their inspiring work.
Dr. Larry Myatt
Co-Founder,
ERC