High-tech learning center aims to prepare Columbus kids for jobs that ‘don’t exist’
STEAM Inventors high-tech learning center opens this week in Columbus with the goal to teach children durable skills like complex communication and problem solving to compete for tomorrow’s jobs.
Aryya Bhattacharyya, CEO of STEAM Inventors, was motivated to open the center because the jobs that kids will compete for when they grow up do not exist yet.
Artificial intelligence, like Chat GPT, is an example of how quickly technology is progressing, he said, and STEAM Inventors will give kids the tools they need to work with this type of technology.
“The job that I do didn’t exist when I was a kid,” Bhattacharyya said. “And today, it’s way way worse than when I was a kid. Things are moving fast.”
STEAM Inventors offers curriculum for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) located at 8342 Veterans Pkwy. Students ages 4-17 will learn more about science and technology through immersive activities and experiments at the center.
A data scientist and technologist, Bhattacharyya is working as the associate vice president of software development at Infinite Computer Solutions. His wife, Lydia Ray, is a professor of computer science at Columbus State University.
Ray’s position at CSU is what brought the family to Columbus, Bhattacharyya said, where they’ve raised two sons who are 17 and 10.
He began exploring what educational programs there were in the region for students to explore STEM areas a little over a year ago. He decided to create his own learning center that will bridge a gap between the K-12 classroom and the rapid progression of technology.
The center will offer summer camps that will begin July 5th through August 4th. After-school classes will run throughout the regular school year.
STEAM Inventors will host a science show Saturday at 2 p.m. at the RiverCenter, business operations director Gina Dorman said, and attendees could receive one week of free summer camp during the event. The show will be family oriented and for all ages.
“You don’t have to be a kid,” Dorman said.
How to prepare for jobs that don’t exist
There are two components required in teaching children to be ready for jobs in the 21st century, Bhattacharyya said.
They have to solve a problem for which there is no solution on a daily basis and they have to be able to communicate their thought process to an audience, he said.
“That’s why all of our curriculum is based around problem solving and communication,” Bhattacharyya said.
STEAM Inventors will teach students these skill through immersive activities that include:
Physical science experiments with the Nutty Scientist program
Learning to code and design
Constructing machines
Exploring virtual reality
Tinkering with a 3D printer
Learning the engineering design process
Engaging with an interactive floor
There is no long-term commitment for individuals who enroll their students in one of STEAM Inventors’ programs, Bhattacharyya said. The price may vary, he said, but it generally ranges from $49 per session for a younger student to around $79 per session for a high school student.
Sessions last an hour and a half, he said, and ensuring the kids stay active while they’re attending is mandatory.
Bhattacharyya and Dorman hope to start a nonprofit eventually that will allow STEAM Inventors to utilize a mobile vehicle where they can take their activities on the road into other areas of the community for little to no cost.
After raising his two sons in Columbus, Bhattacharyya realized that the classroom cannot keep up with the pace of science, technology and engineering.
“That gap is always there,” Bhattacharyya said. “And it will be always. There’s no way a school or a classroom can compete with that. But, probably, a private venture can — because of the agility and flexibility that we have.”
