Qualcomm’s Thinkabit Lab Encourages Future Inventors To Integrate Sustainable Design

“Engineering was not something that I thought was accessible to me and going through the Porterville program really opened my eyes. The Thinkabit Lab has really affected my growth and development. Qualcomm gave me the confidence to start dreaming about a career in engineering.”

Luis, Thinkabit Lab student participant and summer camp intern from Porterville, California

As published in Qualcomm's 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report

Thinkabit Lab is our homegrown STEM engagement program that introduces students to the invention process through hands-on engineering activities. Since 2014, Thinkabit Lab has engaged students from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds to wire circuits like an electrical engineer, code like a computer scientist and build and design IoT-themed inventions that address a real-world problem. These and other career exploration activities give students an idea of the variety of jobs that can be found at technology companies like Qualcomm, while helping them understand how they can use technology to shape a better world.

This year, we added to our Thinkabit Lab curriculum, by:

• Adding a new sustainability theme to our projects to encourage these future inventors to integrate a sustainability mindset as part of their design and invention process.
• Revamping our Wearable Tech curriculum to expand across multiple IoT sectors. By utilizing sensors, students were able to create IoT devices that show how wearable technology can improve healthcare and public safety and make our lives more efficient.
• Developing a guided experience for educators at all skills levels, providing them a suggested lesson flow, guided videos and instructional tips. This guide is easily accessible for educators to implement our free activities in their classroom or after-school program.
• Incorporating a career exploration component using O*NET resources and a lesson led by a Thinkabit Lab instructor. These materials help anyone who goes to our Learning Center to engage in STEM learning, even outside of our formalized programs.

Here’s a snapshot of our 2022 impact across the United States:

• 24 Sites* across 7 states throughout the U.S.
• 10,000+ Students Reached
• 425+ Girls Reached through Wearable Tech Camps
• 32 Week-long STEM Camps Reaching 1,000+ Students
• 11 Newly Trained Instructors
• 75 Educators Engaged
• 48 Qualcomm Employee Volunteers
• 121 Volunteer Hours

^{*Sites are defined as collaborating organizations that deliver the Thinkabit Lab program in either a virtual or physical capacity}

Learn more in Qualcomm's 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report