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The Future of the World Is Truly in the Hands of Our Youth
December 13, 2019 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The investments we make in our youth now will pay off for generations to come. We have to support and help wherever we can. At I-Connect007, we are proud to once again sponsor the STEM Outreach Program at the upcoming IPC APEX EXPO 2020. This year, IPC plans to double the number of participating students to 200. It should be a great event.
Another way we support our youth at I-Connect007 is by sharing the stories of young people who are doing amazing things. The following interview tells the story of 14-year-old Dylan Nguyen. Dylan is an avid kite flier in the master class and is often a featured flier at kite festivals along with his younger brother, Cardin, who is age 12.
Dylan started kite flying about four years ago. Now, he and his family can be found participating in and volunteering at kite events. Dylan also believes in giving back to the community. For example, he learned to sew beautiful, handcrafted delta kites so that he could give them away to kids at the 2019 Washington State International Kite Festival. During the same festival, he also co-organized an event to set a new world record with stack kites.
Dylan is also a great student, musician, and creative thinker. Recently, he shared with me the details of his school science fair project, “Kite: Powering the Future,” which solved a problem that he faced. Dylan is a leader with a bright future, and the world is lucky to have him and other kids like him.
Barry Matties: Dylan, tell us about your recent STEM project.
Dylan Nguyen: At the 2018 Washington State International Kite Festival, I streamed music all day while flying. The issue was that I often found my phone running low on battery and had to go on long walks to the sound tent to recharge it. Then, I remembered a scene from the movie “Big Hero Six,” where a little turbine flies in the air. I thought, “That’s aerial energy!” Later, I read an article about a large part of Africa and India that does not have electricity but does have a lot of wind. I thought, “What if I build an airborne wind energy system tethered to a kite to convert wind energy into electrical energy?”
To read this entire interview, which appeared in the November 2019 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
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