Introduction
Electricity surrounds us every day. We use electricity to light, heat, and cool our homes, to charge our devices, and increasingly in transportation. An understanding of electricity and the interaction of different components helps us to understand the world around us. The power of electricity is supercharged by combining it with sensors to look for specific inputs, outputs that interact with the physical or digital world, and a micro-controller coordinating everything in between. We can harness this power to make it easier for people to interact with the world around them. From simple things like monitoring heart rate to improved exercise to providing ways for people with disabilities to interact with the world more easily, electricity can be used to build a world of possibilities.

For students, learning how to design, prototype, evaluate, and iterate both physically, digitally, and with code, is about empowerment and creativity in the digital age. It’s also about developing the skills that are in high demand across almost every field of industry.

Program Summary
The program will begin by building students’ understanding of the relationship between amps, volts, and resistance, and how they interact within a circuit. They will then learn about creating circuits in a safe virtual environment. This will allow students to experiment with different components without any real-world consequence or broken parts. Students will also be introduced to micro-controllers as the brains of a circuit and explore how to use input sensors and different outputs to add functionality to their circuits. The final part of the day will see students apply this knowledge by using Design Thinking to take on real-world challenges around accessibility and access.

Taking part in this program, students will collaboratively:

• Build their understanding of volts, amps, and resistance
• Construct simple circuits
• Add functionality to circuits using micro-controllers
• Break down real-world challenges using Design Thinking

Career Links:
Electrical Engineer, Electrician, Designer, Disability Advocate