NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, together with partners San Jose City College (SJCC) and Jabil, hosted FlexFactor™ Finals: Silicon Valley on December 7, 2017. in the SJCC Theater. Thirteen teams of high school students from across Silicon Valley were selected to participate in a final pitch of their FHE-enabled products to a celebrity panel of judges. Awards were given for first, second, and third place winners.
“In support of our commitment to the future of advanced manufacturing, NextFlex created a program that energizes youth, industry, and local communities around the importance of technologies such as flexible hybrid electronics as they relate to everyday life,” said NextFlex Executive Director Malcolm Thompson. “By showcasing the vibrancy and reach of modern-day manufacturing, NextFlex, San Jose City College, and Jabil are simultaneously dispelling false perceptions and catalyzing an important group of future industry leaders – especially young women and other underrepresented populations. Our FlexFactor™ program is at the center of this growing movement.”
FlexFactor™ is a month-long program that exposes high school students to the vast range of professional opportunities within advanced manufacturing. Small teams of students identify a human health- or performance-related problem, conceptualize an FHE device to solve it, and develop a viable business model for commercializing their concept. After a month of engaged research, coaching in entrepreneurship, product design, and customer discovery work, students pitch their product and business models to a panel of industry professionals in a “shark tank” style setting. Students who complete all requirements earn college credit with San Jose City College. Finalist teams will then competed in FlexFactor™ Finals: Silicon Valley.
Industry mentors, teachers, school administrators, and friends and family cheered on the 13 student teams from Branham, Independence, Leigh, and Lincoln High Schools in San Jose, Westmont High School in Campbell, and Wilcox High School in Santa Clara. The teams pitched such creative product ideas as Ovi Patch, a thin, waterproof adhesive that records basal body temperature; Baby Watch, a wearable that monitors heart rate, blood oxygen levels and temperature in newborns; and HelloSign, gloves that convert sign language to audible sound.
The celebrity panel of judges included:
- Daniel Bobay, President of the Board, Milpitas Unified School District and SVCTE Board
- Ed Hendricks, Senior Director Business Development, Jabil
- Dalen Keys, Site Leader, DowDuPont Sunnyvale Technology Center
- Donovan Lazaro, Economic Development Officer for the City of San Jose and the San Jose Mayor’s Office
- Miyu Nakajima, Student, Abraham Lincoln High School
- Patty Nation, Director of Global Corporate and Community Engagement at Xilinx
- Malcolm Thompson, Executive Director, NextFlex
- Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor, Workforce and Digital Futures, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
- Nick Uhas, Actor, Producer & Host of YouTube pop science show Nickipedia
- Nicole Walker, Sr. Director, R&D Business Development, Jabil
The following organizations supported students with awards and opportunities: Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)/Tooling U, The Silicon Valley Organization, work2future, Jabil, Xilinx, and others.
For more information about NextFlex workforce development programs, click here.