/ LITTLE FREE STEM LIBRARY CONTEST: INNOVATIONS BY FUTURE ENGINEERS
The contest, sponsored by Avnet Cares and hosted by Hackster.io and element14, produced an impressive array of innovative and memorable STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) libraries that local communities across the globe could freely access.
A Little Free Library operates as a free book exchange. The idea of Little Free Libraries originated in 2009 when Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, placed a model of a one-room schoolhouse on a post outside his home and filled it with books to share with the community.
From there, the concept has grown to more than 150,000 libraries in 120 countries. Now, the Little Free STEM Library project extends the concept by incorporating science and technology kits borrowers can use.
For this contest, more than 100 young engineers spent at least 300 hours sanding, sawing and soldering STEM structures for their schools and neighborhoods. They renovated and installed Little Free STEM Libraries that light up day and night, track circulation, are constructed with recycled materials and are powered by solar panels.
Judges from Little Free Library and SciTech Institute selected the winning projects.
The element14 community offers a wealth of workshops, online courses, video and other content that can help everyone understand the technologies electronics engineers use every day. The element14 community includes the world’s largest membership of professional electronics engineers with close to 850,000 registered members from 48 countries and 100+ supplier partners.
Most Over-Engineered Library:
Raunak Singh's Tech-Enabled Interactive Little Free Library
The winner of the Most Over-Engineered Library, Raunak Singh, used a variety of electronic components, including a distance sensor that monitors book supply, to develop his Tech-Enabled Interactive Little Free Library.
“Building the Little Free Library was a fantastic experience where I combined electrical and mechanical engineering to create a project that impacted my community,” Singh said.
“I decided to participate in the Little Free STEM Library Contest on Hackster.io when I noticed that the Little Free Library outside my local elementary school needed renovation,” he said. “I had the idea to tinker with it to transform it into a STEM technology-enabled interactive experience for other avid readers like me. With the support of the Little Free Library nonprofit, Avnet and the Scitech Institute throughout the contest, I was able to turn this idea into a reality and install the Little Free STEM Library in my local elementary school, where an eco-friendly solar-powered interactive experience introduces visitors to both STEM and reading. Now that this project is complete, I plan to continue spreading my passion for technology and reading throughout my community.”
Most Secure Library: Dan Benitah’s My Little Ballycotton Free Library
“My main motivation for participating in the competition was creating and working on an exciting STEM project with my two children during the summer holidays. My children are avid readers but noticed that the nearest library to a small Irish village where we spend some of our holidays, called Ballycotton, was miles away in the car,” Benitah said.
“We decided to combine our love of books and interest in STEM to build and provide a Free Little Library for this village which could be enjoyed by all its inhabitants, young and old.”
My children are so thrilled and proud that our Library has won Most Secure Library and are so excited to enjoy the prize books and micro:bit boards. Next, I would like to run STEM workshops at my children’s schools once the prizes arrive so more children can benefit from them and learn how to use them. Thank you again to Avnet for sponsoring that challenge.”
Most Illuminated Library:
Rifqi Abdillah’s Candy Pages: Reading Rewards for Little Bookworms
In a world brimming with screens and gadgets, the joy of reading is sometimes overshadowed. It's a common concern for parents and educators to encourage children to dive into the magical world of books.
What better way to do that than by adding a touch of sweetness and a sprinkle of technology to the mix? Enter Candy Page, a delightful reading system designed just for kids.
“In this particular project, I’ve designed a Little Free Library with a reward system that gives prizes to children who have read books. By combining these elements, I aim to inspire more children to stay interested in reading books. Looking ahead, I aspire to collaborate with local kindergarten schools to install this device there,” Abdhillah said.
Most Eco-Friendly Library:
Empowering Native Indian Communities, a collaboration with students at Education Empowers and St. Peter Indian Mission School
This project highlights the design and creation of a collaborative effort by Education Empowers students and Saint Peter Indian Mission school students living in southern Arizona.
“The Free STEM Library Challenge proved to be an exceptional engineering event, offering our students a practical and culturally responsive learning opportunity to use the engineering design process for solving a real-world problem in their community,” said Anna Prakash, co-founder at Education Empowers.
“In the process, our students learned to research problem statements, brainstorm and design innovative solutions as a team. It became a remarkable opportunity for them to not only utilize their technical skills but also contribute meaningfully to their community. Collaborating closely to address this distinctive challenge not only strengthened the team’s bonds but also fostered personal connections among the members and industry mentors. This collective effort not only enhanced their teamwork, but also nurtured valuable soft skills crucial for their future growth.”
