All right,
we are going live.
There's a stuck in between.
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Aren't we are live on Facebook?
So to anyone watching an approximately two minutes,
we will be.
Joining you to ring in our international conference,
two thousand and twenty or first ever virtual conference.
Neither a nice big countdown clock.
Welcome.
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All right,
welcome hello and welcome to the two thousand and twenty future problem.
Solving Program international conference on my name is April meekly.
I'm the executive director,
and I am joined with our program director Elizabeth Coil.
We are your cohost this evening we are ready and excited to start our international conference.
Many of you joined us a few hours ago by an inspiring keynote address by Lisa Kay Solomon.
If you miss that,
it's on her Facebook page of If our time zones don't sync up with any of our sessions following at this one or others over the next couple of days,
please know they are welcome for you to watch them at your leisure.
Before we get started,
I must welcome our amazing students are problem solving champions who have earned the distinction to be with us here virtually from wherever you are around the globe.
we must think our evaluate or some of them have already started our scenario,
performance and scenario writers have already submitted,
and are.
evaluators are hard at work,
Our parents,
wow,
our kids couldn't do this without you.
Thank you for your support for helping them study for helping them register and for signing those parental consent that we've sent your way coaches,
we absolutely admire the work and the dedication that you do for your students and for the skills of future problem solving.
Thank you so very much.
Our wonderful affiliate directors,
co directors and all of our leadership within our affiliate programs,
who work all year long for the practice problems,
the regional competitions,
the state competitions to help guide your students and your coaches to earn the invitation to this event.
Thank you most importantly,
especially this year.
Most of all,
our volunteers you work tirelessly,
you jump in and help with a smile.
You are supporting our students,
but most importantly,
you're supporting our staff and also those behind the scenes.
Thank you so very much.
Together we are going to have a fabulous international conference.
Next up is one of the most exciting aspects of the international conference.
It is our affiliate flags.
We will have our national flags at the end of the opening ceremony today for something a little different,
but we're going to kick off right now with our affiliate flags,
and I'd like to ask you to please read about some of the great accomplishments that are affiliates have encountered over the past year.
They will be printed on the slides,
along with photos of many of our five bearers.
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thank you to all of our students who took the time you notice.
There were even some students you put on some fine attire from their area to take their photos for their affiliate flags.
I was whispering in the background,
and I think my voice came through what I was telling.
All is a bath that at that point,
in the flags ceremony,
I'm typically are shedding a few tears because I'm just so proud of all our students and so excited to see them there.
So if you missed my whispers,
that's what I was sharing.
What an amazing group of student students that future problem solving has arm from all over the world at this time.
with current events and many of the things that we are encountering in our country and in other countries,
we do want to mention that as an organization,
we do stand in solidarity with all of our students.
Our coaches are directors in our Community members.
As an organization.
we are very committed to equity and acceptance to honour the dignity and humanity of each individual person.
Future Home sobbing program International supports our global future and which racism does not limit human rights.
And we all know if you've seen the work of our students.
if you experienced their problem solving methods,
you know that our youth are equipped for a better tomorrow,
and for that I am very proud.
Thank you,
I'm pleased to welcome our opening ceremony.
Speaker Dr Christopher Holly.
Dr Holly was originally going to speak life in front of everyone at U mass by.
Unfortunately,
we were unable to do that.
He is a famous professor and the head of the Electrical and Computer engineering Department.
He received his bachelor's in electrical engineering from West Virginia University in nineteen seventy four and I'm asked an electrical engineering from Syracuse University and a Phd in electrical engineering from the University of Rochester joining the department,
he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Umass,
Amherst in one thousand nine hundred and eighty four and was promoted to full professor and she doesn't chew.
He has been the Assistant association.
Excuse me,
the associate Department head of between one thousand,
nine thousand,
nine hundred and ninety,
six and two thousand and two and two thousand and six,
and he has been the department head since two thousand and six,
serving even as interim dean for the entire college of engineering at U Mass during two thousand and twelve to two thousand and fourteen and again in two thousand.
And nineteen is particular.
research interests are in biomedical control theory.
and I'm sorry I missed that.
You can feed back control theory and its applications with recent work in computer networks and biomedical systems.
He recently received a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigative Howard in Presidential young Investigator Award in one thousand nine hundred and ninety eight and was elected as he fell out of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in two thousand and four,
and in the words of one of his former students.
His guidance during my senior design project helps make me the engineer that I am today.
He always challenged us to think critically simply by asking us thoughtful questions.
So Dr Hot,
he said,
Thank you very much,
but that was a very gracious introduction,
and I wanted to thank both April and Beth for this opportunity to speak to future problem solvers.
So now what could I bring two of you future problems,
always by the way,
a high students and the high audience,
I'd say so what could I bring to future problem solving the problems?
I'll be well.
first of all,
I'm an engineer and engineers look for problems to solve,
and that's what we do.
I'd day in and day out.
But maybe more importantly,
is that I've been teaching our senior design project for many years,
and this is where a graduating seniors,
college seniors divide up into teams and their task to identify a problem.
And then they've actually got to solve it,
but not on pencil and paper.
While this might start off with a pencil and paper in simulation,
but they actually have to build it.
They have to show that it's feasible.
They have to build a working prototype and recently were now challenging students to turning it into a working product.
And so that's constraint really impacts the type of problems they think about and keeps them.
But Ive grounded.
So what I'd like to talk about it in terms of problem solving is your head your feet and your heart,
and that's the title of the talk.
By the way,
in the background,
there is a senior design project from last year that is a laser harp.
Those are laser beams that you see and by interrupting the laser beams with your hands,
you can play different notes and you can basically play an instrument using laser beams.
So students do you see who I put up on the screen there on the left?
You know who that is.
Yet its Albert Einstein,
pre eminent physicist.
And he had a knack of identifying amazingly interesting problems to attack.
And he also had the amazing ability to solve them.
And another person I'd like to put up on the screen on the right hand.
Side is another physicist,
very well known physicist,
and his name is Richard Feynman and look all.
These great physicists puts Einstein up on a pedestal.
What was it about an Einstein that separated him from a lot of other pretty special physicists in The World and Richard Feynman said the following.
He said Einstein's head was way above the clouds.
But his feet were on the ground.
So he thought of Einstein thought of great problems,
amazing problems,
but they were all are based upon his observations of the real world.
Um,
Pictorially,
I'd like us to think of theirs,
you and me.
There's you all in the world.
I'm looking at future problems and in problem solving,
and the message here is that lets your mind and sort of be in the clouds in thinking about problems and their solutions.
but realizing that in the end they have to be implementable.
They have to work in the real world.
they have to work by the way the world works.
and by that I mean yes,
your head is thinking outside the box,
but your feet are inside the box and grounded to reality.
I'd like to give an example of that.
This is one of our senior design project teams.
These are all graduating seniors.
They're all off now,
ready to start jobs or go to grad school.
And four of them,
and the name of their team is also the name of their project,
which is called Clover,
a Tucker Omar Brandon Tim.
They're just great,
great kids.
And so on.
In September they started off with this problem.
They wanted to basically have a system that would automatically notify folks when their indoor plants need water or sunlight.
The thesis was that more people are having indoor plants because it's good a good part of the indoor environments,
but you are also busy and outside of your house or apartment for the good part of the answer might not be able to track whether that plant needs water sunlight.
so they wanted to build a system that would automatically do that.
And with all of our teams,
we say,
OK,
you've got that problem.
Tell us about what solutions are already exist.
And there was an existing product that's shown here on the screen.
And on and these prongs fit into the plants,
soil and awe and sense of since moisture content,
and if the soil gets too dry than this lead will light up.
OK,
so pretty good,
so I'd actually have to say that the students poohpooh this product,
they said.
No problem we're going to build something much better than that you know.
Besides the soil moisture,
we're going to measure a light that is falling on the plant instead of an L G.
We're going to be able to send a wireless signal to the Internet,
and you're apt to tell you notify you that you need to create more sunlight or water your plants.
So that was this team.
Their head was in the clouds moved when they set that back in September of two thousand and nineteen wealth in December,
they produced a working prototype and it was a messy prototype.
I think the main computer in that point was an Arduino,
and I bet you and the students you've heard of an Arduino.
And then in January we said OK time to make a product.
And so this is their projects sketch.
In January of two thousand and twenty,
and here is their device,
it just pops right into the soil here.
Is this device of blowout Blow up and there is a solar panel that fits right on here.
It's used to both metric measures,
the sunlight and also to recharge the battery,
which which supplies it and then also has to have some guts and brains.
And they had a built,
a printed circuit board that had the processor off of the processor.
That's not in charge,
we know,
had a Bluetooth module for wireless communication to make connection to the Internet,
and it also had a charging circuit that allowed the sunlight to charge the battery.
I failed to say one thing that the existing product had was powered by just one AAA battery.
OK,
and so we're going to see the next slide.
This is what they produced.
I am just before we left we had to leave campus in March.
This was their first try at the product.
OK,
pretty cool!
the battery that uses a lithium battery and tears.
the house that you could see the printed Circuit board.
and here's a couple of points.
First,
They had to use a lithium battery instead of a double way.
Battery and lithium batteries.
Fine are powerful,
but they can be dangerous and expensive is going to drive up the cost of the product.
Furthermore,
this is the comparative size to the existing product that the team thought would be inferior and if you stuck it in the plants,
look at the difference,
and I think at this point,
the students really appreciated the existing product.
Improbably,
all the problem solving that went in making get energy efficient and small.
To their credit,
the students were bright.
We're going to be.
we're planning on reducing the size of this device by about a third,
so their head was in the clouds and what they wanted to try to accomplish.
But they got grounded because they had to actually implement and build their build.
Their solution.
Um,
so just reiterating,
let your mind's flow in problem solving,
let us think about anything.
but remember that that all solutions have to ultimately be implemented and have to have to recognise the limitations of of our world,
our physical political,
economical our realities.
Before I leave at sea,
I think I left off one thing,
a title on my set slides said Your heads.
Your feet and what was the other thing?
Your heart,
and so in thinking about problems to solve and in solving and think about what their impact is going to be on society in general.
And on individuals you want to work on problems that are going to push us forward in a positive way and that they don't do harmony.
Do benefits.
And I'm going to close with a team.
A senior design project team in two thousand and sixteen and the name of their project was signing gloves.
And that kind of gives a way of what they did.
This was the picture of the team right after their demo day in April of two thousand and sixteen.
and you can see that they really enjoyed being a team.
This team really got into it,
and they bought into the idea they put in tremendous effort and was all due to do the prime mover.
Casey,
a case,
sees a sibling could only communicate by signing and Casey sibling would grow frustrated because in communicating with somebody that other person has to know,
the sign language,
which is not common and so tasty and team wanted to solve that problem,
we're tried too.
and so what they produced is this glove.
This was a glove all kinds of exciting electronics firm on the glove.
Here's another picture of the glove,
So cases are siblings with where the glove and the person they were talking to would be having an app on their smartphone.
and so the system they developed would recognize the movements of the fingers and their rotation,
and be able to interpret the particular sign word as assigned letter phrase or sentence that the person signing his community is is producing,
and it would show up on the screen of the smartphone.
And that was cool.
and yeah,
it was just a wonderful project,
great motivation and the energy that they put into.
It was amazing.
So in closing.
In looking for problems to solve.
In your effort that you put in to solve them,
think big.
But not too big,
that your feet float off the ground and the solutions proposed are not feasibly.
He just can't.
He do it.
And think about people think about the world and the impact that your solutions will have.
I really want to thank you very much for your attention and thank the organizers for inviting me and looked out students.
If you want to come to for a tour of the my department electrical and computer Engineering,
I have some great things to show you.
We have a wonderful wonderful maker space.
come see our senior design project Demo day are twice a year we have we have hackathons,
hack you,
mass.
There's about one thousand students that I'll come each year and many of them are a high school students.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Thank you so much,
Dr Hala,
for joining us and for your excellent tonic,
and we are excited to be back at U mass next year and hopefully we will see you.
Then.
Next,
we have our creating the future scholarship winners.
First,
we have the leaker roll off season.
Of North Carolina.
He has to provide.
the scholarship has asked three questions.
They can ask anything else at Piazza,
that's hardly to be quick on my feet,
ready to solve whatever challenges even to be able to analyze situations before going into the lungs.
When I decided I would want her decision,
as he asked,
has taught me a lot,
of course,
helped me,
and I encourage you to want to continue it as fierce as soon as possible is it truly is worth it?
There is no other able to experience this.
Thank you so much.
Thank you,
my legal nice.
me from this sees me next to hear from product from Kentucky.
B Yes,
it's by nervous and upset,
and I'm a graduating senior high school and a member of the Kentucky.
Before began.
I'd like to think I've just the eye for hoarding to create different scholarship and for taking on the feet of hosting and virtual conference and such turbulent times like this.
Everyone involved in the conference from the coaches and staff to the students will forever be a part of this history.
I first got involved with acquiesced in sixth grade.
I joined the team without knowing much about the competition,
but I was immediately immersed in the problem solving process in all the merits it offers as a global issues problem solving competitor,
I got the chance to work with various teams to tackle issues including desertification,
disappearing languages,
despite starting with little to no insight on any of these topics,
you are able to dig deep and discover all the nuances,
making me even more curious about what the future could be like.
In high school,
I got the opportunity to continue my involvement,
publish his problem solving.
However,
I soon realized that it is just as important to actually implement solutions to the problems that I've seen.
In addition to researching solutions through the topics that we studied,
Mps with an amazing group of fellow students,
we were able to start Community problem solving seemed to find some of the educational disparities.
My happiest journey has truly been taking me from Oval Kentucky to various parts of the state and even the country the most importantly,
they taught me how to become a critical thinker,
whether it is in competition or in the real world.
I've discovered just how universal problem solving process.
Although this may be my last year at a student of access for him,
it is just the beginning of my applications of the problem solving process.
I'd also like to encourage all of you to apply the problem solving process with me today and if the date is coming during such tough times,
is this for me physically and now is the time for us to take a stealthy learnt in competition and apply them to the real world.
The future problems that we have researched from countless hours on earth have now become problems of the present.
This is the time to take the intuition,
the researching pandemics,
infectious diseases and the criminal justice system.
in order to create meaningful solutions in our modern society.
I encourage you to identify the challenges your community faces,
whether that is the ongoing racial injustice present in the United States with a Cobra nineteen virus and interests public safety.
then gather team and start working on meaningful solutions to these problems.
I've seen so my peers do amazing things to help protestors in the front lines or help health care workers and overfilled.
I see you,
and I'm sure that with a canister appears to have come up with a strong plan of action to help against a large problem that the both basis.
This is the time for us to stand up as an early and do what we can to make the world a better place,
Why the problem solving process issues around you and you will be bound to create solutions that could save lives and change the world.
Thank you.
Thank you proud of.
Thank you so much for your scholarship winners offer sending in videos for sharing how future problem solving has ship has helped to shape your educational journey and hopefully to share some inspiring words to some of our younger students and our coaches who can really see all of the hard work is paying off.
The next aspect in our opening ceremonies is to honor our adult of words.
The adult awards are rooted in history and have honour the legacy of several people that have come before these honorees that we will honor tonight.
The first award that we are going to prison is the genie Carlson Yes Award.
This award recognizes outstanding volunteers and supporters.
It was created by Dr Ian Paul torrents,
the founder of future problem solving and his wife,
Pansy,
to honor a person that went above and beyond the call of duty for future problem solving this year,
we are happy to honor Ethan Garza and Kirk Garnet for this distinguished a word You think Ariza is from the Texas affiliate,
and he has worked with them for sixteen years,
And Kirk Barnett has worked with Kentucky future Problem solving since the late nineteen nineties.
We have many accolades from these two honorees and the other honorees that are included in our Celebration of Champions Programme.
The second award that we will announce is the key Frampton award.
This award recognizes outstanding future problem solving coaches.
He's frampton was the former head of the Firewood Teachers' College in Australia.
He began the Australia New Zealand and Future Problem Solving Program in nineteen eighty eight and became the first national director in one thousand nine hundred ninety,
nine this year.
We are delighted to honor,
she added,
with T and C Williams.
With this award,
Shannon has been a coach and the Texas affiliate for over twenty five years and Sue has worked with future problem solving New Zealand for the last twenty years.
We command both of you for sharing your expert coaches and your skills with our students.
The last word for this evening is the John Daughtry award.
The John Daughtry award recognizes outstanding directors,
evaluators or staff.
Jon Daughtry,
the former affiliate director of North and South Carolina,
was a dedicated advocate,
a future problem solving this year.
we are pleased to honor Cherokee Lights it Minnesota affiliate director.
with this award.
Congratulations and thank you to all of our adult award winners.
At this time,
we have a unique presentation for the future problem solving service award.
If you've been to past international conferences,
you know that we typically find a service agency in the local area to help support.
Last year we helped support Craig Stores,
which was an amorous Massachusetts.
Since we're global this year,
we are going to support a global effort.
I'm not is to help celebrate and promote World Oceans Day from Tangier.
C while Oceans Day is June eight,
there's a lot of information about this sidewalk art chalk event,
and we have some students from Mama who have taken this on and who are sharing this initiative with us.
Their video will give a great explanation,
but also in our virtual treaty world,
you will be able to visit the exhibit good for kanji a seed.
Here's some more from the students.
Yeah.
An international nonprofit organization that uses art to spread awareness about the conservation of her.
Their mission is to empower individuals and communities to make meaningful changes in the environment through Art fair to call the nineteen authority.
If they have not been able to have these artists got together to make the meals.
this is,
let's start their project.
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Your doors are candidacies,
had spread their message and awareness and allow a future congress.
Others came up with a solution.
That's why we have started to spread awareness about saving the ocean through iron.
Rather girls have done their part in the past to spread their message.
Now it is either return,
whereas in all future found the servers to take part in its call to action,
everyone is encouraged to grab a piece of chalk and create their own side off years,
starting on the fourth,
leaving out the world's ocean their own isn't.
The pantry seemed good as the happiest virtual conference to learn more about this amazing organization and to participate in the cycle.
The spread of unrest to creativity and crash.
Thank you to that wonderful group of students.
We are so excited to have this as our service project.
not only to oceans affects everyone from around the globe,
but also that it is an initiative on June eight that just happens to coincide with our international conference.
I don't know about you,
Elizabeth,
I am my sidewalk chalk ready,
and I'm not going to prove to be a great stress release some time in the next couple of days to get out there in front of the future.
problems sobbing on office and design some artwork to help spread awareness about the importance of our ocean.
Thank you so much to that that student group from New Jersey to their coach,
Courtney,
I'm into the folks at Tangier C for sharing this opportunity with us,
or they will have some scholarships for some of the winners.
And we hope to announce that I'm if we don't announce it at the awards ceremony on Tuesday,
we will announce it in the coming week or so.
So stay tuned for that exciting addition to this,
or that I be for in your mind to the national flags that will close out our opening ceremonies This evening,
I wanted to share something a little different that we're doing with our national flags this evening.
Typical we have typically we have a flagbearer from each of our countries to walk through the auditorium of two thousand and two hundred people.
They proudly carry their national flag,
the anthem is claim.
Everyone in the audience stands for each other's anthem and we come together as an organization,
our students,
the voices and the leaders of tomorrow,
and it is one of the most powerful and inspiring moments on that I've ever experienced.
I'm tonight.
We're going to not have an individual flight there because the virtual two thousand and twenty international conference National Flags ceremony is dedicated to every single problem solver and Oliver affiliates.
We are proud to play your anthems and show your flags.
and at the conclusion of our flag ceremony the window to our global issues,
competition will be opening at six pm Eastern.
We wish all of our competitors luck,
but most importantly,
We offer you the gift of friendship through your fellow future problem solvers and skills that were lost your lifetime.
Thank you for being here with us.
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I have a lovely evening.
have a lovely day how a great afternoon,
wherever you are.