← Outside of the Box
Outside of the Box
National STEM Champion Levi Dunn & EXPLR Co-Founder Kari Byron on Outside of the Box
00:22:17
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- [00:00]
A
Christine's talking with Kari Byron of Explore and Levi Dunn, National STEM Festival finalist, about his project that recycles 3D printer materials on this episode of Outside of the Box. Filament for me was really expensive because I had to buy all my own filament. I started a recycling club when I was in elementary school, and so I really wanted to kind of combine my two passions that led me into basically using injection molding with 3D printing. And so that allows you to kind of basically make the recycling process much easier.
- [00:32]
B
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Outside of the Box. And I think everybody that watches my show on a regular basis knows that I get really excited every year when the National STEM Festival comes around. And this year, of course, is no exception. I love talking about projects and kids just doing amazing things, you know, to. To try and change the world. And we have one of those individuals on the podcast today, which is Levi Dunn. And we're also joined by Explore Media co founder Carrie Byron to talk more about the STEM Festival as well. So welcome, both of you to the show.
- [01:20]
C
Thanks for having us.
- [01:21]
A
Yeah, thank you.
- [01:23]
B
Absolutely. I have to say, Levi, looking at your project, this is after my own heart, because 3D printing is quite a big thing in the combat robotics space, which is what I normally operate in. It's a very easy way to make robot parts as far as, like, the chassis and things like that. And so I think a lot of my audience would be very interested in your project. First of all, tell me a little bit about how you came up with this idea. I mean, recycling, like, I think we all know that recycling is important, but this is a very interesting and unique way to do it.
- [02:04]
A
Yeah. So my project, it kind of started. I started same with you, like, with 3D printing. And so filament for me was really expensive because I had to buy all my own filament. And I had done recycling. I started a recycling club when I was in elementary school, and so I really wanted to kind of combine my two passions, and that led me into basically using injection molding with 3D printing. And so that allows you to kind of basically make the recycling process much easier and much more affordable for communities.
- [02:35]
B
Yes. And I think recycling and upcycling, you know, which to some extent this would be for sure, is a great thing to do. I mean, we. We have a lot of plastic in the world, and plastic certain has its place, but anything we can do to convert it into something different or useful instead of it just kind of sitting around is definitely the Way to go. Tell me a little bit more about that development process for doing this, because like you said, you were already passionate about 3D printing. So what types of things did you have to do to approach this and see if it would actually work?
- [03:13]
A
Yeah, so a lot of things I did. I. We have a bunch of research institutions around me, so I met with a few people there and talked with them about it. And then I also met with my school and they managed to get funding for my project. And so then I basically I waited like five months to get all of my funding and machines together to kind of build the whole thing. And during that time I actually built a recycling game for students that kind of taught them about recycling. But once I got all my things and machines, I worked on it and kind of am working on combining it.
- [03:48]
B
I think that that's great. And actually I want to shift to you a little bit, Carrie, because as a maker, I'm sure you're very familiar with 3D printer. So with this project in particular, like, what struck you as it being a very innovative idea?
- [04:06]
C
Well, I mean, this is a technology that I've always been really interested in, in just trying to upcycle and recycle as well. But because the national STEM FE is really trying to inspire kids to get into STEM, I know that robot building and 3D printing are really visceral ways to inspire kids. I actually have a follow up question for Levi about that. So your device that you're creating, it breaks down the plastic so that you can put it into a 3D printer. Are you thinking of this for its future as something that everybody has in their homes or on a large scale for the community?
- [04:45]
A
Yeah, that's actually a great question. Yeah. So I'm hoping to develop it more this summer and I'm hoping it can kind of be a way to have communities and individuals recycle. And so like smaller communities that may not have access to that, they can recycle their own plastics. And it's about $2,000. So it's quite affordable compared to like million dollar recycling facilities. And then it has a few other benefits. You can manufacture like injection molding, which provides really high quality parts, and then also do 3D printing.
- [05:14]
C
A lot of kids come out of the STEM festival with patent ready projects with their ideas. So I mean, I imagine if you take this mass scale and you can get that down cheaper and make it a lot more convenient for people to actually have just their own, it's a really inspirational idea. I'm so excited that you're going to be representing Tennessee here because it is. We are all so proud of the work that you're doing. It's both creative and has just that positive impact on the world that we were really looking for.
- [05:48]
A
Thank you so much.
- [05:50]
B
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I think I actually. I'm glad that you brought that up as a point, Carrie, because I think that having something that is accessible for folks on an individual level, but is something that you can look at more broad scope as well, is a great direction for a project, because with things like the need to recycle, we kind of all have to work together to. To get that where it needs to be. Now, Levi, when you were told that your project was chosen, what was your, you know, reaction, other than just being really excited about it, as I'm sure you were?
- [06:31]
A
Yeah, I was. Yeah, I was very excited, and I was kind of surprised, actually. There's a bunch of other projects. I know there are, like, at least three other projects or so in Tennessee, and it was. It was super cool to be able to represent Tennessee.
- [06:45]
B
I think we all would be proud to be able to represent our state at such a level. Is there anything that you're specifically looking forward to getting to go to the festival and being a representative and getting to interact and network with peers your age who are also doing other amazing projects?
- [07:05]
A
Yeah, I think I'm just really excited to network with people. I met a lot of people that I didn't realize had done the National STEM Festival at isef, and so I'm really excited to see and make those connections and maybe continue the connections I make from ISEF this year into the
- [07:19]
B
National STEM Festival for you, Carrie, because this. We've been doing this for a couple of years. I'm sure that, you know, every year with the new projects that come out, that it just gets more exciting to see how many more kids are coming up with these amazing ideas. What are your thoughts on the festival this year and just the overall amazing projects that are coming out of it.
- [07:43]
C
I feel like our game is upping on the positive impact every year because people are starting to understand how they can take their technology and their innovations and make them for the good of the world. Because, you know, Levi's generation really is inspirational to me. They really are looking forward in such a positive way. I feel like our festival feels a little different than a lot of science fairs. And it's my favorite part of the festival is that it's not a competition. Once all the kids get there, everybody's already a champion, so they can lean into that networking. And I love the idea that Leva's already seen that and he's going to take this opportunity to meet the other kids, because I honestly feel like this geographic diversity is where we're going to make connections that are going to save the world. Like, who knows who he's going to meet that he's like, you know what? My recycling project pairs perfectly with your app. Let's get together and, like, take it to the next level.
- [08:44]
A
Yeah, I agree. I love that the National STEM Festival is so much about the collaboration and everything. That's kind of why I'm so excited to be on the podcast, too.
- [08:54]
B
Yes, exactly. I mean, that's. That's why I love having you all on the podcast, is because I think the more that people know about this and know about these projects, I think that it's just something that will continually inspire, and that's an achievement that I always hope to. To kind of get across with this show. The kind of speaking to what Carrie just mentioned, I mean, have you thought at all, not having gone to the festival yet, but thought at all of any other applications for this or any other types of projects that that might pair well with what you're doing? Like, have you kind of thought that through in any way?
- [09:39]
A
I haven't seen many of the other projects, but, like, I'm currently working on a project with AI and integrating that with different scientific things, and so I'm kind of looking to pair that well with my project, and it kind of provides an avenue for business as well.
- [09:55]
C
I think you'll be surprised at, like, the crossover between your project and all of the different categories, because when I first saw your project, it was like, environmental stewardship. Yes. But also it could be aerospace innovation, because up in space, they're going to have just a very limited amount of resources. So what if they took your recycler up into space and took all of the plastic that gets used, recycled it and created tools or 3D printing on the moon? Like, your project is actually really, really applicable to so many fields. And I love the idea that that kind of creativity you're going to take to college and then you're going to bring to our world.
- [10:32]
A
Yeah. Thank you.
- [10:34]
B
Yeah, that is true. And as of the time of. Of this recording, there was just, you know, the space launch and everything that happened that was really exciting. So I think it's a great time to bring that up. I mean, I think one of the great things about, you know, you Levi and all of the students in the National STEM Festival is that everybody is so humble and thinks that, you know, their project is something that's really small but doesn't, you know, necessarily see how big it can be and how many lives it can potentially change. And I think that's something that we need to continue to grow and expand on. Which, speaking of that too, I wanted to ask you, Carrie, because I like, I love following your social media because I find like every time I look at something that you've posted, you're just so passionate about learning and about promoting STEM and all of the little ways that people can get into it. And I think one of my favorite things that I've ever spoken to you about is the creative aspect of it and how there's so many creatives that make and they don't necessarily see that as a pathway to stem. And this, this project is actually a really good example of that because the 3D printing aspect. But talk a little bit about that as far as, like, how important hands on learning is, how important doing creative things to kind of trickle into STEM is important.
- [12:10]
C
Well, this year our theme is the builders, because really we are building the future and we want to illuminate that STEM is more than coding or apps or, you know, it's also all of the STEM jobs that could be from construction to manufacturing to recycling to aerospace. It has such a wide breadth. So we really want to talk about how we can inspire kids through hands on activities like robotics, like the STEM Festival, where they come up with real life innovations and experiments to get them to kind of see STEM in a bigger way. And the STEM Festival itself is just one celebration and component of what we are doing. I personally was a maker and an artist and I came to STEM in a very nonlinear way through the TV show mythbusters, where I discovered how much I love stem. So what we're hoping to do with both the STEM Festival as the celebration, but also with our platform Explore, which is a learning platform, is to really just continue the learning, the inspiration and the conversations with what does STEM look like and how do we get into stem? So we have credentialing programs where you can take video lessons and get a real credential that you can put on your resume for college or for a job in things like AI or a nonlinear STEM idea, storytelling, because science communication is just as important as engineering. Because if you can't explain your project, people aren't going to buy that project and they're not going to understand how it fits in their lives. So we really kind of want to show STEM as just this big bucket rather than something that is. Is unachievable for every single person.
- [13:59]
B
Yeah, I couldn't agree with that more, Levi. One thing I wanted to ask you because Carrie brought up AI, and I know you mentioned kind of some things that you're working with applications and AI. I want to talk about that a little bit because AI, I feel like, is such a controversial subject at times today because it has, you know, maybe some negative things about it, but there's also a lot of positive things about it. So in your research into working with AI, I want to talk about what you've taken away as, like, some of that positive aspect of it, because it certainly does have some applications that I think would be really beneficial that are helping us and not necessarily replacing what human beings do.
- [14:43]
A
Yeah, so a lot of, like, the AI that people usually see is like generative AI, where you're generating, like, text or you're generating images or videos. Right. And that's. That AI is helpful, but it's. It doesn't really have great implications for society versus, like, machine learning or what we do, which is integrating AI into physical systems. And so basically, by using machine learning and neural networks and all of that for physical systems, we can accelerate the pace of innovation. And so what I do is I basically develop a large language model to control a scanning transmission electron microscope, which basically allows people to see at the atomic level, and then you can kind of build materials up from there.
- [15:27]
B
Yeah, for sure. Is the AI piece of things something that you've considered integrating, or is it possible to integrate into what you're doing with the recycling? Because I kind of was thinking through that, and I'm like, I feel like there could be some potential connection there.
- [15:43]
A
Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. Because it kind of like, our system is designed to work with every scientific hardware or any hardware, really. And so basically our model is going to be trained off of bunches of different machines, and so you can kind of have that full innovation loop and. Yeah, that's kind of how I hope to use it.
- [16:05]
B
Yeah, yeah, that would be great. And again, I think a wonderful application of AI, because I think the more that we can get these types of things that are going to help people to move through quicker and more smoothly, then the more people that we can help. Any other thoughts as far as the National STEM Festival, and I know that's upcoming, I'm sure you're very excited for it. So just anything else you Wanted to share about that, Levi?
- [16:36]
A
I don't think so.
- [16:39]
C
Well, Levi, I will tell you this. One of the pillars of the National STEM Festival is that we want industry to support, foster, and make connections with the champions and just all the kids that come look at the platform and try to learn. But we love that there's companies like, say, Pure Cycle, which is a recycling company that's very similar to what you're doing. It kind of has some of the similar concepts. I would love to connect you with people that are doing things that you're already interested in, because they know they have to invest in the workforce of tomorrow, and that's you. So how do we get every single industry, every company, every CEO to start looking at the Levi in their town and say, you know what? That I want to foster that locally because I want to keep this kind of recycling ingenuity in Tennessee. You know, how do we get more of that? So, like, STEM Festival is really about the community and the entire STEM community, the kids that are coming up in it, the kids that are watching from home, the industry leaders that are. That are all supporting it, you know, because we all just kind of. We all gotta. It takes a village. We all gotta build the STEM community together.
- [17:50]
A
Yeah. That's what I was super excited about, actually, for the STEM Festival, was meeting all the different companies and people that were involved with it.
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B
Yeah, I mean, it's a great networking opportunity. Have you. Have you thought about that, too, like, as far as a future career? Because, I mean, just because somebody submits a STEM project doesn't necessarily mean that they want a STEM career. But it sounds like you probably do based on a lot of the things that you're working on. So what do you kind of envision that looking like in the future?
- [18:22]
A
Yeah, so I'm kind of. I'm going into material science. Um, and so I'm going to continue that. And then also I'm going to start building a company. And so that's kind of my goal is building company and doing research.
- [18:33]
B
So that's awesome. I love a young entrepreneur.
- [18:39]
C
The.
- [18:39]
B
The. You know, you build your own company, and then the next thing you know, like, you have a bunch of other people involved in what you're doing and just making the world a better place. So I love it. And, Carrie, from your end, I know that every year, like, people from the outside can attend the National STEM Festival. You know, they're able to come, they're able to support in other ways. So if you wanted to share a little bit about that for anybody that's watching and is interested in being involved in some way, Sure.
- [19:11]
C
I mean, there's so many ways to support the National STEM Festival. We always love amplifying the message so that kids know next year that they can submit their projects or start thinking about about their projects. And their science projects don't have to be exclusive to us. It could be one that they have innovated from the past. It can be one that they used in another science fair. If you're a company and you want to support a kid coming from your state, or you want to just, like, support kids from anywhere in the country, including the territories, you can do that financially or you can just show up for the kids. It will be open to the public on Saturday, 27 June, right. Leading up to America 250, we're going to be there. So if you happen to be in Washington, D.C. you can attend the festival yourself. We will do everything we can to also communicate this through live streams. And we are partnering with a lot of the sponsors of the festival to create content like credentialing, like videos on the Explore platform so that we all can be part of this community and we can all do this together.
- [20:17]
B
That is amazing. Well, for the folks that are watching, definitely check out the Explore platform, as well as just everything related, related to the National STEM Festival. Explore has some amazing content, and so I think it's definitely worth a look if you haven't checked it out yet. Well, Levi, I think that your project is great and I am so excited that somebody involved in 3D printing has come up with something really amazing and gets to represent the making community at the National STEM Festival. So I wish you the best of luck there, and I hope that you meet so many other peers that are doing amazing things as well.
- [20:59]
A
Yeah. Thank you so much, Levi.
- [21:01]
C
I really look forward to meeting you in person. And I just want to leave everybody with this. There are so many awesome kids like Levi, and all of their projects are highlighted and up in videos on the nationalstemfestival.com site, so you can check out everybody. And Levi, you can. You can see who you're going to be friends with in just a few months.
- [21:21]
B
Exactly. Well, I'm so excited for this and for all of the students that are attending. So definitely, if you're watching, check that out. I'll make sure that I link everything in the comments below this video and also make sure that you like, share, subscribe, comment, engage. As long as you're engaging with STEM content, then you're in a good place. So keep doing that, keep watching, and we'll see everybody next time for some more stem content.