ThoughtSTEM, company founded by UC San Diego alumni, receives $330k grant from National Science Foundation

ThoughtSTEM, LLC, a San Diego-based company teaching computer science skills to students ages 5 to 18, has received a $330,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation. ThoughtSTEM is most well-known for being the first company to release a Minecraft Modding software, LearnToMod, that allows kids as young as 5 to reprogram the popular video game, Minecraft.

ThoughtSTEM is led by UC San Diego computer science Ph.D. alumnus Stephen Foster and biochemistry PhD alumna Lindsey Handley.

“Thanks to the NSF, we are now going to be able to reach more students in different countries with different interests," Handley said. "The same experience students have had in our classrooms will soon be available online to both students... and adults. We're really interested in sharing our educational tools with more adults so they can help us reach more kids.”

With this new grant funding, ThoughtSTEM will able to offer more of their innovative, video game-inspired computer science curriculum to students around the world by moving online the curriculum they've been using in classes with students in San Diego. There will also be a push to develop a completely new computer science curriculum designed to meet the interests of a broader population of video game-playing students worldwide.

The mission of ThoughtSTEM is to find every student interested in understanding how computer programming works and teach them in a context they can understand - video games. ThoughtSTEM has taught over 7,000 students in San Diego and over 100,000 students online.

This grant is allowing us to accelerate our development of computer science educational products for students who we are looking for new ways to interact with their favorite video games," Foster said. "Our students in San Diego have really enjoyed our approach, and we are excited to now be able to share it with other areas.”

ThoughtSTEM also was co-founded by computer science Ph.D. alumna Sarah Guthals, who now works at GitHub.

Two Jacobs School alumni featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30 for 2016

We are incredibly proud of Sarah Guthals and Daniel Lee, two Jacobs School alumni who are featured in this year's 30 Under 30 selection by Forbes Magazine.

ThoughtSTEM cofounder Sarah Guthals

Guthals is a co-founder of ThougthSTEM, a company that focuses on teaching kids how to program, in San Diego and beyond, as well as online. The company has created LearnToMod, a software package that allows students to learn how to code inside of Minecraft. ThoughtSTEM currently offers a free Coursera course to teach educators how to use LearnToMod in their classrooms as a learning tool. The company has also developed CodeSpells, a first-person player video game to teach coding.

Guthals leads ThoughtSTEM's initiatives that connect with schools and teachers, online and in real life. She often chats with educators online to help them customize their programming lessons. She presented a many educational and programming conferences, including Minecon, a Minecraft-centric event that draws crowds every year.

With fellow ThoughtSTEM co-founders and UC San Diego alumni Stephen Forster (computer science) and Lindsey Handley (biochemistry), she co-authored "Minecraft Modding for Kids," in the For Dummies series. Guthals earned her bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. in computer science at UC San Diego.

Daniel Lee with one of the Hush smart earplugs prototypes.

Daniel Lee, nicknamed "Ewok," co-founded Hush Technology, a company that makes smart earplugs with fellow UC San Diego student and alumni Daniel Synn and Daniel Chesong Lee (hence the need for nicknames to distinguish between the three Daniels).

The team raised more than $450,000 for their product on Kickstarter. The three Daniels then turned to making the product a reality. As of December 2015, the company completed a 400 unit preliminary mass production run. Hush plans to deliver its units in January 2016.

Lee, who graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering, came up with the idea for the smart earplugs during an entrepreneurship class taught by Teaching Professor Nathan Delson. Lee and the other two Daniels took part in Phases 1 and 2 of the NSF I-Corps program offered at the von Liebig Center here at the Jacobs School.

Alumni company shares $2 million grant from NSF to teach kids how to code

A company co-founded by two Jacobs School computer science alums is a partner in a $2 million grant to teach how to program inside of Minecraft to children in fifth- through eighth-grade throughout the state of Maine.

ThoughtSTEM is partnering with the University of Maine to run the grant. Students will be using LearnToMod, a software that teaches how to code inside of Minecraft. It all will be part of a program administered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extensioin 4-H, which plans to reach more than 1,000 students. The grant specifically targets students in rural areas.

“The use of computer games as a mechanism for teaching computer science concepts while also improving the effectiveness of the core curriculum is incredibly exciting,” Bruce Segee, who also is the director of the Advanced Computing Group for the University of Maine System and the grant's principal investigator said in a statement. “We believe that we will see an improvement in student learning across multiple areas.”

ThoughtSTEM was co-founded by computer science Ph.D.s Sarah Guthals and Stephen Foster, with biochemistry Ph.D. Lindsey Handley. In addition to LearnToMod, the company provides classes to teach children how to code in San Diego and elsewhere.

Guthals, Foster and Handley also have co-authored "Modding for Minecraft for Kids" in the "For Dummies" series.

Read the full University of Maine press release here.

Alums publish second book teaching kids to program inside of Minecraft

A second book on Minecraft modding by UC San Diego engineering and biochemistry Ph.D.s is hitting the bookshelves this fall."Modding Minecraft" is part of the "For Dummies" book series. It is currently exclusively available at Barnes and Noble for $9.99.

The three authors are Sarah Guthals and Stephen Foster, two computer science Ph.D.s, and Lindsey Handley, a biochemistry Ph.D. The trio co-founded ThoughtSTEM, a company that teaches computer programming to kids in elementary, middle and high school. The company created LearnToMod, a sofware that allows kids to learn programming inside of Minecraft.

Earlier this year, they co-authored "Minecraft Modding for Kids." This latest book is aimed at a slightly younger audience, Guthals said.

According to the book's online marketing materials:

The projects in this book teach your player how to modify the game by using code blocks to create mini games. The projects use LearntoMod (provided as a 60-day trial download with the book), a platform designed specifically to teach young students how to modify Minecraft.
Projects include:
* Create a Spleef Game — get started with a single-player, single-level game
* Build a Monster Arena — moves readers on to multi-level game playing
* Capture That Flag — finishes with a multi-level, multi-player game based on the classic capture the flag' game

This book is designed to appeal to readers as young as seven who are interested in learning more about the technology topics they hear about every day. It applies the time-tested For Dummies approach of simplifying complicated topics with a light-hearted and non-intimidating tone and presents the information in a way that appeals to young readers. All three books in the series, Making YouTube Videos, Getting Started with Coding, and Modding Minecraft feature:

* A kid-friendly, expert-approved design - heavy on eye-popping graphics and filled with easy-to-follow steps to completing a project.
* The perfect-size, full-color, book gets your young coder up and coding with a proven mix of graphics and text instruction.
* Fun, basic projects that provide the building blocks (and excitement) for further computer/tech exploration.

Kids learn how to program while playing Minecraft at UC San Diego Bookstore event

Computer science alumna Sarah Guthals showed off LearnToMod, the software that she and fellow computer science Ph.D. Stephen Foster developed, today at the UC San Diego Bookstore. The software allows students to learn computer programming while playing Minecraft.
Guthals demonstrated how students could create wands that generate giant digital explosions inside of Minecraft and that allow players to teleport inside the game.
After the event, Guthals signed copies of "Minecraft Modding for Kids for Dummies," the book she co-wrote with Foster and Lindsey Handley, a biochemistry Ph.D. at UC San Diego. Guthals, Foster and Handley co-founded ThoughtSTEM, a company dedicated to teaching children how to code. It offers everything from summer camps, to after school programs.
Below are some tweets about the event:

It's happening! @ucsdbookstore @LearnToMod #MinecraftModdingForKids #ForDummies #booksigning @ 2pm! pic.twitter.com/TZuNQpO7rY

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) August 13, 2015

Here's a clip form today's Minecraft Modding for Kids author event https://t.co/UQv2ZeHk8l @sarahguthals @ucsdlibrary @UCSanDiego

— UCSDbookstore (@ucsdbookstore) August 13, 2015

UCSD Bookstore Author Event: Minecraft Modding for Kids for Dummies: http://t.co/BkDUafrpFf via @YouTube

— UCSDbookstore (@ucsdbookstore) August 13, 2015

1. UCSD Engineering ‏@UCSDJacobs  2h2 hours ago

   Learning to modify #minecraft with drag & drop code! @LearnToMOD @ucsdbookstore @LTM4Educators @sarahguthals

   1 retweet1 favorite
   
2. UCSD Engineering ‏@UCSDJacobs  2h2 hours ago

   These kids are smart! “Does anyone know the difference between a local and a global event in #minecraft?” They all do. @LearnToMOD

   0 retweets1 favorite
   
3. UCSD Engineering ‏@UCSDJacobs  2h2 hours ago

   .@LTM4Educators @LearnToMOD & @sarahguthals demo #minecraft modding for kids @UCSanDiego @ucsdbookstore!

   
   

   

Jacobs School alum teaches how to program inside of Minecraft at Minecon 2015

About to teach in the #Glassroom #Minecon2015 #Minecraft in #Education #TNTCanon pic.twitter.com/ULHp6GpYT3

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) July 5, 2015

Sarah Guthals, a postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, got to teach at Minecon 2015, the all-things-Minecraft convention that took place in London July 4 and 5.

She was at the event with fellow ThoughtSTEM co-founders Stephen Foster, a computer science Ph.D. student, and Lindsey Handley, a biology Ph.D. student.

ThoughtSTEM developed LearntoMod, a software package that teachers how to program inside of Minecraft. At Minecon, Guthals trained teachers to do the same. Event recap in Tweets below.

#Minecon2015 #Minecraft #Educators selfie!!!!! Competing with the one we did in #ISTE2015 pic.twitter.com/tEkbsv075q

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) July 5, 2015

Learning minecraft round 2 with the infectiously smiley @sarahguthals. #msminecon15

— Danny (@118perdoni) July 5, 2015

Just started 2nd talk STEM Focused with @sarahguthals #msminecon15 pic.twitter.com/wmQMyJQeK7

— Nic Hughes (@duck_star) July 5, 2015

@sarahguthals teaching fractions & logic gates with #Minecraft - totally engaging & inspiring #girlsinSTEM #STEAM pic.twitter.com/h3fBoeHuOU

— Louise Harris (@Louiseharris33) July 5, 2015

One of the #Educators made a half adder with logic gates in #Minecraft! #teachcs #teachstem #Minecon2015 pic.twitter.com/gyuCw79hFM

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) July 5, 2015

#Minecon2015 @LindseyDHandley pic.twitter.com/2GFpDFuFmo

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) July 5, 2015

After the last 2 weeks I can't wait to see what http://t.co/tTvt2svrlA turns into This is going to be a great time for #Minecraft #Education

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) July 6, 2015

Love the dedication to solving circuitry challenges with #redstone in #Minecraft! https://t.co/FgFStSMudR

— Sarah Guthals (@sarahguthals) July 6, 2015

Robot and computer scientists featured on Innovate 8 TV show

MiP, the robot created by the UCSD Coordinated Robotics Lab and WowWee and ThoughtSTEM, a company founded by two Jacobs School computer science grad students were recently featured on Innovate 8, a program produced by CBS News 8 in partnership with UC San Diego and the San Diego County Office of Education. 
Watch below:

Computer science Ph.D. student quoted in The New York Times about getting girls interested in programming

We are very excited to see that Jacobs School Ph.D. student Stephen Foster quoted in an opinion piece in The New York Times about getting girls interested in programming.
Forster is a co-founder, with fellow Ph.D. students Sarah Foster and Lindsey Handley, of ThoughtSTEM, a nonprofit organization that teaches children how to code here in San Diego. He talked to the author of the New York Times piece, Nitasha Tiku, the editor of Valleyway, Gawker's blog about the tech industry:

“Students kept walking in asking to learn how to code wearing Minecraft T-shirts,’” said Stephen Foster, a founder of the San Diego-based organization ThoughtSTEM, which teaches kids ages 8 to 18 to code in after-school programs and summer camps. “Once it happened the 20th time, we started to realize, ‘Oh, hey, maybe these kids know something that we don’t.’ ”

So ThoughtSTEM started offering Minecraft 101 classes at UC San Diego Extension. The organization also makes a special effort to enroll girls.  Foster told The New York Times:

A hundred students were on ThoughtSTEM’s waiting list for its first Minecraft class two months ago. “I would say that the girls are actually outperforming the boys, at least in my class,” Mr. Foster said. “And it’s very good to see, because as computer scientists, we definitely recognize that there’s a big gender disparity in our field.” He added, “There are just so many girls who play Minecraft who, as far as I’m concerned, are all people who can be swayed to pursue coding — they just don’t realize it yet.”

"ThoughtSTEM is a proud supporter of getting more girls and women into computing," Esper said. "With a majority of female co-founders, we are so excited to be featured as a company making headway, not just in computer science education, but in engaging a more diverse group with curriculum and programs that attract students of all kinds."

Why Minecraft is good for teaching computer science

Minecraft enthusiasts in San Diego will be able to take a unique inside look into their favorite game during a class taught by Jacobs School computer science Ph.D. student Stephen Foster at UC San Diego Extension.

Students will learn how to set up Minecraft servers and build Minecraft mods. In the process, they will learn about client/server architectures, network security, operating systems and computer programming. The class will be taught in a project-based style.

Heads-up: the class, which starts March 1, is full. But Foster says it'll be offered again soon.

In this video, Foster explains why the video game is a great tool to teach computer science. In the process, he makes some interesting connections between Alan Turning, one of the fathers of computer science, and Minecraft.

Note: Foster is one of three co-founders of ThoughtSTEM, a company that teaches students ages 8 to 18 how to program. He is also one of two creators of CodeSpells, a first-player video game that teaches children (and adults too) how to program in Java.

Related stories:

Teaching Kids How to Code

UC San Diego Computer Scientists Develop First-Person Player Video Game that Teaches how to Program in Java