Parametric Studio, an Ames-based edtech company has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop CURIE, a gamified STEM learning tool for high school and undergraduate students. CURIE aims to make it easier to implement complex and multidisciplinary projects in traditional classrooms through a combination of hands-on learning, crowdsourcing, software tools, gaming and team building. Parametric Studio’s goal is to increase early exposure to STEM fields and give more students exposure to STEM careers and experiences. Examples of projects students could do include creating a greenhouse to be sold to other schools, building a portable wind energy system and customizing a 3-D printed prosthetic for end users. “We want to help students learn how to create solutions to real needs in their communities. My experience is that any child can be interested and capable in STEM,” Parametric Studio founder and CTO Christopher Whitmer said in a prepared statement. “With this project, we hope to make STEM learning more connected to the real world and, at the same time, make it easier to implement in a traditional classroom. CURIE will also be compatible with current and future STEM kits for students, greatly enhancing the hands-on learning experience.”
