Texas Science & Engineering Fair Trio Win the 2023 Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award
Success Stories
“We use coding to help visually impaired people become more independent.”
Carter Ponce, Christian Rosas and Jose Alejandro-Moreno were recognized with the 2023 Broadcom Coding with CommitmentTM award at the Texas Science and Engineering Fair at Texas A&M University in March for their “Bionic Eye” project and for using coding to help people in their community.
Broadcom Coding with Commitment recognizes students in grades 5-8 who combine STEM learning with coding to solve a community problem they care about that aligns with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
The “Bionic Eye” project addresses the third United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, Good Health & Well-Being.
“Our goal was to help visually impaired people navigate their environment with ease,” Christian said. “We want to help them because they often have difficulty accessing information and resources. We want to make them more independent.”
Carter, Christian, and Jose were inspired to find a technical solution for friends and family who use glasses or contacts. They built the device and programmed an Arduino R3 microcontroller that is worn on the wrist like a smartwatch.
“I have always liked playing video games, and I find coding really fun,” Christian said. “I enjoy coding because there are endless opportunities to create something new.”
“I became interested in coding at nine years old and had fun learning new things,” Jose said. “Coding is fun and complex, and it is a very good experience when you get it!”
Basic coding is a 21st Century+ skill that girls, under-resourced, and underrepresented youth need to become digitally literate and compete for highly skilled jobs in emerging industries built on technologies of the future.
The trio’s seventh grade science teacher, Maria Celia Gonzalez Martinez, at Dr. Saenz Middle School in La Joya, Texas, credits her district together with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Workforce Industry Training Jr. Program with providing mentorship and empowerment to students in STEM education.
Involved in summer coding classes since elementary school, Carter, Christian, and Jose visited local universities where they learned the importance of helping the community.
Competing in the science fair against the best in Texas has “encouraged them to continue developing prototypes to help the community,” Gonzalez Martinez said.
“I have no doubt that Carter, Christian, and Jose will continue to be successful in using technology to help their community,” Gonzalez Martinez said.
“I believe there are a lot of community issues that can be addressed with coding, and ours is focused on good health and well-being,” said Christian. “I hope that I can contribute to real change and make a difference.”
Congratulations, CARTER, CHRISTIAN & JOSE!
Raspberry Pi has free resources to help anyone learn how to code and teach basic coding. Visit the Projects site to get started.
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