Invent The Change - 6 Month Impact Summary
I need to start with a big thank you to all who have been a part of my development throughout my STEM journey. Invent the Change LLC would not be possible without each and every one of you!
Leaving my dream job in the middle of a pandemic to start my dream business was a difficult decision to make but has turned out to be a wonderful game changing decision for myself, my family, and the communities that I serve. The mission of Invent The Change is to
Change the world by inspiring young minds to keep doing cool things with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
If this mission excited you I hope you’ll keep reading to learn more about the impactful work my STEM partners and I have been up to during the first 6 months in business. Read below to learn more about how we reached over 145,000 people (via live virtual events) with unique and engaging approaches to STEM inspiration and education!
Below you will find a summary of our most impactful projects along with collaboration thought starters on ways for you to get involved!
It’s Not Magic It’s Science!
Last year episodes of “It’s Not Magic, It’s Science” reached millions of views! Families across the globe were inspired to engage with science at-home in a manner that was as entertaining as it is educational! This year I’ve turned the inspiration up a notch by partnering with Rockwell Automation and Cedar Point to bring you five exciting amusement park themed episodes! These episodes still have all an at-home experiment video, explanation video, and exploration video but instead of being filmed in my kitchen Cedar Point let me have the park to myself for an entire day to bring you the science behind the thrills! Below is the episode we filmed at my favorite rollercoaster: Top Thrill Dragster!
Collaboration Thought Starters: From creating a branded episode to delivering a keynote at your conference or community event, I'd love to uncover the magic behind the science of your brand!
Changing the Game
I teamed up with FIRST once again to bring “Changing the Game” back for another season of advancing equity in STEM & sports! We explore the STEM behind sports, how math and science are used to predict outcomes, and the importance of equity and representation on and off the field. Special guests this quarter included Andre Snellings, senior writer at ESPN; Jen Welter, the first female NFL coach; Yareliz Ramirez, IT services manager for the Miami Heat; Brittany Holterman, former D1 basketball player and two-time competitor on American Ninja Warrior; Spartan Ultra World Champion Rea Kolbl; Rugby Player Martin Keuchkerian; Olympic Diver Carolina Mendoza; Detroit Pistons Senior Director of Analytics Dan Rosenbaum; and American Ninja Warrior Woman’s Champion Meagan Martin!
Collaboration Thought Starters: Whether your brand has a direct connection to sports or you just want to connect your brand to the passion of sports, let's showcase how your brand is changing the game!
SHPE Noche de Ciencias (Science Nights)
I’ve partnered with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) to bring the entertainment and education of “It’s Not Magic, It’s Science!” to hundreds of students across the country! We’ve already hosted 3 Noches de Ciencias (West, Central & East) to bring the power of math and science into Latinx households across the nation. Science nights are just the beginning of this partnership which will bring valuable STEM awareness, access, support and development resources to underrepresented Latinx communities.
Collaboration Thought Starters: Want to inspire young minds and families in your local community? Let’s connect to bring a science night like no other that is sure to inspire future innovators in your community!
MIND Research Institute Family Math Weeks
I’ve partnered with MIND Research Institute to create and amplify Math Weeks across the nation! Math Week which first launched in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI with the support of Rockwell Automation is developed by MathMINDs, a program of the non-profit MIND Research Institute, with the mission to change society’s view of math forever! By bringing families together to experience math through games, history and storytelling we are crushing the “I am not a math person” stereotypes and engaging the entire family in math experiences that are as entertaining as they are educational!
I also continue to help shape the future of MIND Research Institute’s impact by serving as a member of their Partner Advisory Forum.
Collaboration Thought Starters: Want to bring a family math week to your school district? Let’s connect the dots and bring families together to celebrate math!
Make48
In 2019, I brought STEM to the mainstream media as a star on Telemundo’s athletic competition show Exatlon Estados Unidos. This year I’m excited to take another great step in elevating STEM as the emcee for the Make48 city series where teams of makers will compete for a spot in the national competition that will air on PBS!
Read more: Introducing Make48 City Series Emcee & STEM Ambassador Jay Flores
Collaboration Thought Starters: Want to connect with makers in your community or across the nation. Let’s chat about opportunities to connect your brand to the community of innovators at Make48!
Social Media & Podcasts
In addition to the 145,000+ reached via live virtual events we reached millions more via social media content aimed at inspiring young minds to keep doing cool things with STEM! Make sure to follow by clicking on the social platform icons below and on TikTok @jayfloresinspires. Also listen in to the following podcast episodes I joined over the last few months.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Podcast: Inspiring Young STEM Minds
Latinx Can Podcast: Believing in Belonging, Being in the Anti-imposter, with Jay Flores
Looking Forward
The last 6 months of impact have been a start beyond anything I could have dreamed of. I am blessed to have the support of many organizations and individuals to make it all happen. It’s just the beginning and there is tons more STEM excitement and inspiration coming from Invent The Change LLC in the next 6 months and beyond. If you like what you are seeing and want to learn more about potential collaborations please reach out!