Overview.

 

In 2021, the Bridge Program consisted of a 12-week remote initiative carried out in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab. The program featured a curriculum developed by Bridge and MIT’s Community Biotechnology Initiative that spanned topics in science, technology, leadership, and community organizing and engagement.

 


The 2021 Bridge Program curriculum involved twelve themed weeks:

Week 1

Leadership Part 1: Introduction to Public Narrative

Using storytelling to share the “stories of self" that call us to leadership.

Abel Cano
(Arc of Change)

Week 2

Microbial Music

Making music from data generated about the trillions of micro-organisms that inhabit the human body.

David Sun Kong, Ph.D.
(MIT Media Lab)

Cas Smith
(Ginkgo Bioworks)

Week 3

Synthetic Biology Futures

Imagining futures where synthetic biology is reshaping how we make medicines, food, materials, energy, and more.

David Sun Kong, Ph.D.
(MIT Media Lab)

Cas Smith
(Ginkgo Bioworks)

Week 4

Leadership Part 2: Team Building

Working in teams to define our team’s norms and shared purpose for how we will mobilize our communities.

Abel Cano
(Arc of Change)

Week 5

Civics & Computation

Exploring how digital currency and blockchain technology can decentralize power and create new systems of value

Jaleesa Trapp

(Lifelong Kindergarten, MIT Media Lab)

Week 6

Artificial Intelligence & Creativity

Working in our teams to define the strategies and tactics for how we will implement our final project ideas.

Professor Cynthia Breazeal, Safinah Ali, Daniella DiPaola

(Personal Robots, MIT Media Lab)

Week 7

Blockchain & Digital Currency

Using artificial intelligence to augment humanity’s creative forms of expression from visual art to music and poetry.

Neha Narula, Ph.D., Shira Frank

(Digital Currency Initiative, MIT Media Lab)

Week 8

Leadership Part 3: Strategy & Tactics

Using coding tools like Scratch to tell the stories of our communities.

Abel Cano
(Arc of Change)

Week 9

Space Exploration: Part 1

Exploring the frontiers of space exploration, from the expanding universe to advanced optics.

Professor Dava Newman
(MIT Media Lab)

Ariel Ekblaw, Ph.D.
(MIT Media Lab)

Kenneth Harris
(NASA Goddard)

Week 10

Space Exploration: Part 2

Working in teams to solve space missions close to Earth and throughout the galaxy.

Professor Danielle Wood
(Space Enabled, MIT Media Lab)

Kenneth Harris
(NASA Goddard)

 

Projects

The Bridge Program culminates with the students delivering final projects that demonstrate both an application in science/technology, and empower their classroom, family, neighborhood, and community.

 

 

Group: Scienta

Gender and Racial Equality in Space Science

Our project aims to provide more exposure to Space Science to Boston Public Schools students to improve the diversity in gender and races in the Space Science related fields. We hope to provide more opportunities for under-resourced students to explore their interests in Space Science.

Team: Phuong An Bui, Yassine Eljamali, Jack He, Priscille Hogu. Mentor: Teja Jammalamadaka


Group: Sovereign Tools Healthcare

Instant App: A digital health platform for immigrants

There are huge racial disparities in rates of health insurance coverage in the US. We aim to develop tools that allow immigrants to take control over their health. Our first product is a telehealth platform that will be piloted in Dorchester and other Boston communities. We hope to help decrease the healthcare access gap in the Boston area.

Team: Angeles Figuerola, Aspen Johnson, Ifrah Abdullah. Mentor: Guillermo Herrera-Arcos


Group: DJ Pay

ENVIO-3: Paving the way to a cleaner and more equal community.

We are striving to combat environmental racism to support and improve communities in Massachusetts by exploring bioengineering technology that can reduce pollution, while conducting community outreach and education on environmental racism and clean energy.

Team: Devin Wilson Joutres, Julian Sustach, Parmis Mokhtari-Dizaji, Yong Di Huang. Mentor: Adrian Caesar


Group: Global Go Getters 4

IHM: Interactive Health Mapping

Our challenge is to collect data and create a map that visualizes issues related to health and climate, then to share this data with companies and organizations who can provide resources and solutions to mapped problems.

Team: Matthew Rosales, Jeanette Sandoval, Christian Jean-Louis. Mentors: Rachael Edmondson & Cole Prowitt-Smith


Group: JAAZO

bioCharles: Bioremediation of the Charles

bioCharles aims to use bioremediation and synthetic biology technology to tailor new microbes into specific polluted spots within the Charles River in order to combat pollution. We also hope to foster educational programs for further pollution prevention.

Team: Zhuo Yan Jiang, Addy Dean, Adem Ayed, Olivia Chen. Mentor: Jenni Nguyen


Group: The Conductors

Meals that Heal

Students explore a model using synthetic biology and engineered growing techniques to create a model focused on sustainability and production. This is in an effort to create an equitable, healthy and affordable food system with an emphasis on accessibility for all regardless of socioeconomic background.

Team: LiYuan Chen, Jesse Givens, Amy Cui. Mentor: Eva MacDonald


Group: Dos2

Sustainable Drip

Our project aims to help lower income and underserved members of our communities receive improved physical protection from the elements, as well as bring environmentally sustainable and affordable clothing alternatives, while helping remediate pollution through the use of recycled materials.

Team: Alexa Berthold, Connor Lashley, Joshua Tackie, Zanna Berthold. Mentor: Taylor Pierce

Group: Gen Z Juice

Bridging the Connection

Our goal is to better our communities by helping households and communities access the internet. By creating greater access for learning and staying connected, we can help future generations create equity. We believe that improved access to information, school, healthcare, public forums, social and professional opportunities will increase participation in our society.

Team: Ajah Johnson, Markell Jones, Zhuo Rui Jiang, Damare Cain. Mentors: Zion Griffith & Lani Willmar


Thank You to Our Partners & Collaborators

 

Instructors & Guest Lecturers:

Dr. Dava Newman

MIT Media Lab

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal

MIT Media Lab

Dr. Danielle Wood

MIT Media Lab

Cas Smith

Ginkgo Bioworks

David Sun Jong, Ph.D.

Community Biotechnology Initiative; MIT Media Lab

Ariel Ekblaw, Ph.D.

Space Exploration Initiative; MIT Media La

Neha Narula, Ph.D.

Digital Currency Initiative; MIT Media Lab

Kenneth Harris II

NASA

Abel Cano

Arc of Change

Daniel DiPaola

Personal Robots; MIT Media Lab

Shira Frank

Digital Currency Initiative; MIT Media Lab)

Jaleesa Trapp

Lifelong Kindergarten; MIT Media Lab

Safinah Ali

Personal Robots; MIT Media Lab

Omari Hardwick

Mentors:

Adrian Caesar

Analyst at Optimal Energy, Brown University

Cole Prowitt-Smith

Williams College

Eva MacDonald

Career Specialist, Boston Private Industry Council, Mass Amherst

Guillermo  Herrera-Arcos

Robotics, Neuroengineering, Health Tech, MIT Media Lab

Jenny Nguyễn

Wellseley College

Lani Wilmar

Unlock Her Potential, Questbridge Scholars, Williams College

Mani Sai Suryateja Jammalamadaka

MIT Civil Engineering

Rachael Edmonson

Social Services, Providence College

Taylor Pierce

Tech Staffing Research & Recruiting, M.Ed. Student, Middlebury College

Zion Griffin

Tech Staffing Research & Recruiting, Brandeis University

Technical Advisors:

Todd Thorsen

Technical Staff, MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Jaleesa Trapp

Grad Student, Life Long Kindergarten, Media Lab

Daniella DiPaola

Grad Student, Personal Robots, Media Lab

Sebastian Kamau

Grad Student, Sculpting Evolutin, Media Lab

Angela Vujic

Grad Student, Fluid Interfaces, Media Lab

Andres Rico

Grad Student, City Science, Media Lab

Adam Horowitz

Grad Student, Fluid Interfaces, Media Lab

Dana Gretton

Grad Student, Sculpting Evolution, Media Lab

Wesley Block

Undergraduate, Material Sciences & Engineering, MIT

Diane M. Diehl, Ph.D.

Senior Director, Scientific Operations, Waters Corporation

Kelly Johnson

Director, Immerse Innovation and Research Lab Network, Waters Corporation

Hannah Rolon

QA Supervisor, Waters Corporation