The Cogcast, Hosted by Cogmation Robotics

#007: Mylene Abiva — Education, Entrepreneurship, and Elevating Women in STEM

Mylene Abiva is the President & CEO of FELTA Multi-Media Inc., a 56 year old company that introduces innovative instructional materials and educational devices for school technology. FELTA has been the Education Solution Provider of INTEL Education since 2012. Mylene has a ton of achievements to her name; she is a former President of the Philippine Marketing Association, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines (Women Entrepreneur) (2009), one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Awardee (2016) and the list goes on. Mylene is proud to be the first and only female ambassador for the World Robot Olympiad, otherwise known as the WRO, and has been involved in her fair share of competitive robotics as well. She and her company have been the organizers of the Philippine Robotics Olympiad since 2001, the WRO International Final WRO in 2010 in Manila and the World Robot Olympiad Friendship Invitational 2018 in Cebu. FELTA has also been heavily involved in Robot Virtual Games, an online robotics platform that allows students of any age to compete against each other globally. Timestamps: 0:46 - Guest Introduction 2:56 - What she's currently working on 4:39- How to innovate a company while staying true to its origins 6:47- Where does 'Champion of the Geeks' come from? 10:32- How parents can support their children 13:25 - How can students take steps to improve their education 15:57 - What will companies need to innovate next? 17:50 - Virtual competitions with Robot Virtual Games 21:10 - Is homeschooling here to stay? 23:27 - Passion versus purpose 25:36 - Traits that allow leaders to succeed in business 28:40 - Thoughts on emerging tech and the future 30:10 - Her message to the world Get in touch with Mylene: Mylene's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylene-abiva-82657295/?originalSubdomain=ph] Mylene's Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mylene.abiva] Mylene's email [myleneabiva@yahoo.com] Mylene's TEDx Talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/mylene_abiva_the_truth_behind_robots] FELTA's website [http://www.felta.ph]

#006: Murtaza Sinnarwala — Student Success, Self-Care, and Skill-Based Learning

Murtaza Sinnarwala is an Apple Education Specialist working in the UAE, though he's worn many hats in the education space throughout his career. After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration in Quality Management, he went on to work as a Quality Engineer at LG Electronics, before later becoming a LEGO Certified Trainer, ATLAB Training Head, and more. In the latter role, he helped the organization to deliver STEM, Robotics and AI Training around the world. Murtaza has been coaching K – University technology and Educators for over 10 years. He is also a passionate advocate for Project Based Learning (PBL) and mental health. What's more, he is a soon-to-be co-author with a book titled 'Amplify Learning', set to launch in 2022. Murtaza's Twitter [https://twitter.com/MakerMurtaza] - https://twitter.com/MakerMurtaza [https://twitter.com/MakerMurtaza] Murtaza's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/makermurtaza/] - https://www.instagram.com/makermurtaza/ [https://www.instagram.com/makermurtaza/] Murtaza's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/makermurtaza/] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/makermurtaza/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/makermurtaza/] Murtaza's website [https://ecanmake.org/] - https://ecanmake.org [https://ecanmake.org]

#005: Adam El Rafey — Confidence, Curiosity, and the Role of Companies in Education

Adam El Rafey is a super social, 11 year old public speaker, innovator, learning enthusiast and thought leader. He is passionate about reforming the traditional education system, inspiring others to find their voice and to make a difference at any age and strongly believes in decisions being made based on ability and not age. Adam is one of the youngest TEDx speakers in the world, and has spoken at over 19 major conferences such as GITEX, GESS and Dubai Future Week. He is no stranger to media having been featured in numerous newspapers, TV segments, radio shows and podcasts. He is an Awecademy Alumnus, currently the youngest innovator at The Knowledge Society’s virtual global program and attends both primary and secondary school. He is a big AR/VR enthusiast and science and tech lover. Adam loves following his intellectual curiosity and always finds himself down one rabbit hole or another and emerging with some fascinating discoveries! Adam's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/adamelrafey/] Adam's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamelrafey/] The Knowledge Society [https://tks.world/] Awecademy [https://www.awecademy.org/] School of Humanity [https://sofhumanity.com/] Timestamps: - 0:51 - Guest Intro - 2:12 - Intro - 4:16 - Finding your voice - 5:30 - Where he gets his confidence - 7:07 - The best mentors he's ever had - 11:14 - Reforming the educational system - 14:53 - What is kinesthetic learning? - 16:31 - How parents can foster success for their children - 17: 57 - Parents' encouragement - 19:30 - What The Knowledge Society (TKS) gave him - 21:38 - The next 10 years in STEAM - 25:05 - The role of companies in education - 28:00 - Message to the world

#004: Stephanie Carrasco — Educating, Evolving, and Empowering Youth for the Future of Work

Stephanie Carrasco is a Coordinator of Advanced Academics for the Socorro Independent School District, also known as SISD. Located in El Paso, Texas, this district is home to nearly 50,000 students. For four years she has handled academic events for the district, including a decathalon and a huge robotics competition, which we'll hear more about soon. Stephanie has a wide-ranging skillset, having a background in the sciences before earning her Master's Degree in Educational Technology and Leadership from Lamar University. She is a passionate educator who strives to ensure that her students graduate as career-ready professionals who continue to be learners long after they've left the district. Stephanie's Twitter - https://twitter.com/YCarrasco_AA Article: ROBOCOM 7.0 goes virtual - https://bit.ly/3sDO6xP

#003: Yücel Tekin — Teaching, Training, and Transcending Barriers to Education

Yücel Tekin is the founder and CEO of Robotum, an organization which facilitates robotics workshops for children and teens between the ages of 6 and 19. Before working on his company full-time, Yücel had experience as the Director of Distance Learning at Atilim University, as a Chief Information Officer in the military, as an ICT Instructor, and more. Robotum acts as a consultant to schools and institutions interested in technology education and competitive robotics. Their talented team of youth builders and programmers routinely attends national and international competitions such as FIRST LEGO League Jr., FIRST LEGO League, and World Robot Olympiad. Having four degrees, Yücel is a well-educated and experienced individual. After completing two undergraduate degrees in Management and Computer Science, he earned his Master’s in Education Technology, before finally achieving his Ph.D. based on his research into the effects of robotics on mathematics. Yücel's website [https://robotum.net/] Yücel's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuceltekin/] Yücel's YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/ytekin69] Robotum's Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/robotumnet/] Robotum's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/robotum_net/] Read our 2019 interview with Yücel [https://www.virtualroboticstoolkit.com/blog/2019/11/29/meet-yucel/] Timestamps: 2:00 - Introduction 4:10 - The most rewarding part of his job & working with Baskinet University 5:35 - How he discovered the Virtual Robotics Toolkit 7:40 - What he learns from his students 9:23 - Teaching his son and his role as a parent 12:58 - The advantages of virtual robotics 15:25 - His view on the next 10 years in STE(A)M 17:33 - Changing career paths & his educational background 21:18 - What the future classroom will look like and why education should be personalized 24:06 - His message to the world  Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com [https://www.zapsplat.com/].