DesignHouse, Aeris to Help Chicago Public Schools’ Students Learn About Internet of Things

CHICAGO, March 29, 2017 -- DesignHouse, a national nonprofit committed to inspiring local manufacturing innovation for stronger communities, and Aeris, a pioneer and leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) market with local and global operations, today said they are collaborating to help students of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) understand IoT, one of the fast growing Internet-based technologies in the world.

Harry Plant, vice president of social impact, Aeris

DesignHouse and Aeris will bring together CPS students, teachers, and mentors on Saturday (April 1) for a hands-on educational program to learn about IoT. A total of 30 students from the Manufacturing Connect program at Austin Career and College Academy (ACCA) will participate in a day-long residency where they will work in teams to create an interactive light that can communicate through the Internet.

CPS students will learn through the workshop how to use design thinking and create a project using simple electronics. Students also will learn about advanced manufacturing career paths and skills needed. The collaboration between CPS, DesignHouse and Aeris will provide a lasting interactive presence at ACCA and keep the learning process for students going beyond the April 1 workshop.

The advanced manufacturing skills that the students will be exposed to through the workshop have many applications in today’s job-rich manufacturing sector. For example, modern smart manufacturing machines collect data that then is used to improve productivity on a manufacturing floor.

Other partners and sponsors of the IoT workshop are Indiegogo, Inventables, Manufacturing Connect, mHub and Spark Fun.

CLICK TO TWEET: @DesignHouseNFP, @AerisM2M collaborate to bring #IoT to @ChiPubSchools students at @ACCAChicago. #AerisM2M http://www.aeris.com/news/

Supporting Quotes

• Patricia Harper Reynolds, principal, Austin Career and College Academy

“Manufacturing Connect prepares young people for career and college success in and out of the classroom. Manufacturing Connect is one of several programs that add value to the learning community here at Austin College and Career Academy. This program has been providing work-based learning experiences here in the Austin community for the last 10 years. We are excited to have DesignHouse, Aeris and Manufacturing Connect at ACCA as we embark on preparing students to transform their lives and the communities they live in.”

• Emily Taylor, executive director, DesignHouse

“The workshop hosted by DesignHouse, Aeris, and other partners and sponsors will provide valuable knowledge to Chicago Public Schools’ students about how the Internet of Things is connecting with the world of advanced manufacturing and its career path opportunities."

• Harry Plant, vice president of social impact, Aeris

“Aeris is a pioneer and leader in the Internet of Things industry. We believe in giving back, and the city of Chicago is a perfect location because our Internet of Things innovation center is located in the River North area. We value our partnership with the Chicago Public Schools and DesignHouse. We're excited to be able to share with local youth and adult mentors from underserved communities Internet of Things’ processes in the context of a fun project. We welcome the opportunity to work with students from the Austin Career and College Academy so as to increase their knowledge levels of IoT, one of the fastest growing technologies in the world.”

• Dan Swinney, executive director, Manufacturing Connect

“Manufacturing Connect is excited to help educate our students who attend Chicago Public Schools about what it takes to succeed in innovative careers in advanced manufacturing.”

Digital Assets

• [Video] Silicon Valley Comes to Chicago
• [Photo] Emily Taylor
• [Photo] Harry Plant
• [Image] Aeris logo

Supporting Resources

• Read about Chicago Public Schools.
• Read about Austin Career and College Academy.
• Read about DesignHouse.
• Read about Aeris.
• Read about Manufacturing Connect.
• Read and subscribe to Aeris Blog and Neo Blog.
• Read Aeris news releases.
• Read about the Internet of Things FAQ.
• For more information about Aeris’ news and activities, follow the company via Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools is the third largest school district in the United States with more than 600 schools providing education to approximately 400,000 children. Our vision is that every student in every neighborhood will be engaged in a rigorous, well-rounded instructional program and will graduate prepared for success in college, career and life.

About DesignHouse
DesignHouse is a Chicago-based nonprofit whose mission is, “Inspiring local manufacturing innovation for stronger communities.” Just as the local food movement has inspired chefs, instead of starting with a product design and then searching for a manufacturer, DesignHouse reverses the process. DesignHouse educates designers, manufacturers, and the next generation to use excess capacity and design thinking to bring innovation to the factory floor through programs including, Design Jams, Design for Local Process and Design & Manufacturing Residency programs.

About Aeris
Aeris is a pioneer and leader in the market of the Internet of Things – as an operator of end-to-end IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) services and as a technology provider enabling other operators to build profitable IoT businesses. Among our customers are the most demanding users of IoT services today, including Hyundai, Acura, Rand McNally, Leica, and Sprint. Through our technology platform and dedicated IoT and M2M services, we strive to fundamentally improve their businesses – by dramatically reducing costs, improving operational efficiency, reducing time-to-market, and enabling new revenue streams.

For more information, contact:
Emily Taylor                                              
DesignHouse
+1.773.414.1556
[email protected]

Kevin Petschow
Aeris
+1.312.985.9182
[email protected]