Back to News & Events December 5, 2024

H.S. Students Dive into a Day-Long Product Launch Hackathon

H.S. Students Sprinted through a Mini Product Launch Hackathon

Judges included industry change makers

A few dozen Boston high school students, and a team from Maine, engaged in a hands-on, fast-paced, mini physical consumer product launch as part of FastForge, the inaugural Hackathon   created by The Possible Zone and held at Artists for Humanity in Boston on Friday, November 1, 2024.

Throughout the day, students collaborated in teams with corporate volunteers from leading businesses to research, ideate, design, and prototype their idea for the next hot consumer product. They then leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) in a cutting-edge, collaborative human-AI workflow to refine their designs and generate high-fidelity visualizations of their product concepts. This process allowed students to maintain ownership and agency of their original creative designs while also learning to leverage new design tools that are quickly changing the way we create, design, and collaborate.

Following a day of work-shopping, a panel of 30 change-maker judges, including Robert Tepper and Walter Kowtoniuk, Third Rock Ventures; Sharon Botwinik, Fidelity Center for Applied Technology; Jodi Collier, Launchpad Venture Group; Jennifer Davis, Techstars; Mark Flores, WHOOP; Brian Lagarto, Shark Ninja; Jenna Ventorino, Wilmer Hale; and Mark Levin, TPZ Co-founder and Board Chair, heard pitches from and asked questions of the student teams in a science-fair format. The audience of partners and supporters voted during a closing reception to select top award winners from the judges’ three selected finalists.

Team #7 from the John D. O’Bryant School of Science and Mathematics won first place for Myrani, their app-in-a-mirror that helps customers find the right outfits to fit the season, event, or mood. Team #6 from Cristo Rey Boston High School earned second place for Headzpace, a sports headband that can be used for communication between coaches and athletes. Team 8, also from the O’Bryant, earned third place for REBYL, a tracking app that notifies you if you leave your house without your keys, phone, and other important valuables.

“This event inspired high school students to build entrepreneurial mindsets and skills that can positively impact how they envision their futures,” said Eliza Petrow, Chief Business Officer at TPZ. “Working alongside volunteer-experts as they problem solved, executed on design thinking, and demonstrated growth mindset – then pitching their ideas and plans to industry leaders – helped these young people build their confidence and social capital…” Read more>>

 

Partner Appreciation Reception 2024

The Possible Zone benefits from the expertise, collaborations, and support of many individuals and organizations that partner with us in our mission to advance economic equity by ensuring young people develop the entrepreneurial spirit, skills, and networks to launch successful careers.

On November 21, during an Appreciation Reception, we were pleased to recognize all our Partners and feature the following awardees who have positively impacted The Possible Zone through their contributions to our students, our program, or our community:

  • Cynthia Breazeal, Ph.D., Dean for Digital Learning, and Matt Taylor, Researcher, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Arthur Collins, District-wide Restorative Practices Coach, from Boston Public Schools
  • Danielle Hardy, Curated Narrative & Editorial Photographer
  • Karla Morales, Principal Scientist, from Takeda
  • Johana Rodriguez, Program Manager, Statewide/Multicultural Outreach, from Parent Professional Advocacy League
  • Nora Baston, Superintendent, Bureau of Community Engagement, Kerlin Desir, Officer, and Bernadette Sullivan, Sergeant, from the Boston Police Department.

Thank you to all who joined us during this special evening and to our host, Third Rock Ventures!

Volunteer in Our Classrooms or Fab Lab!

We are nearing the end of our fall semester and students at The Possible Zone are ready to share what they have learned. If you are interested in volunteering with us, or want to connect us with someone who might be interested, please contact Andrea Miranda, Director of Volunteers and Alumni Engagement.

Click here for the full list of volunteer opportunities and dates; below are descriptions of the upcoming opportunities.

Presentation of Learning – Various days/times M-Th, 1-2 hours (before 6:00 p.m.)
Upon completion of the semester, students will present their reflections of the tech skills and competencies they developed throughout the semester. After each presentation, you will have a chance to ask questions and provide feedback through a form.

Open Studio – Fridays, 3:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Join us to help guide students as they explore interests in electronics, coding, music production, multimedia, game design, laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC milling, large format printing, garment & textile design, and arts & crafts.

Alumni Corner: Tell Us About You!

Early next month, The Possible Zone will launch an Alumni Survey, sharing it with 800 former students and graduates. If you’re an alum, we ask that you take the time to complete the questionnaire. Your feedback, experiences, and perspectives help us to better understand what works well and what more we could do to support young people as they build an entrepreneurial spirit, valuable skills, and strong networks. If you have questions, please contact Andrea Miranda, Director of Volunteers and Alumni Engagement.

Possible Begins with You

This Giving Tuesday – December 3rd – can we count on you to make a commitment to The Possible Zone?

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE