Innovators for Purpose

Come learn about game design and dream up new games! This workshop will include a panel of game design professionals and take participants through the game design process. September 26, 2024, 4-6pm Located at the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard in Cambridge, MA GUESTS ?? Scot Osterweil, research scientist and creative consultant to the Education Arcade and MIT Game Lab ?? Frank Pinto, game design teacher at Innovators for Purpose ?? Sara Verrilli, development director at MIT Game Lab ?? Kyle Gordon, 2022 MAD Design Fellow, and in charge of Portfolio & Strategy at PlayStation Studios This event is geared primarily toward high schoolers and accompanying teachers, but all are welcome to join. Find more details and register at https://buff.ly/4dXCopj ! This workshop is part of MAD’s Power of Design series, dedicated this year to the ways in which Design Transforms Learning, and a part of Cambridge Science Festival occuring from September 23 to 29. MIT Museum | Rosa Weinberg

Our new video showcases some of the amazing (free!) lobby displays you can see along The Innovation Trail in Cambridge. Featuring Draper, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), BXP, Inc. and LabCentral. Did we miss any? Can you think of other organizations that should have something like this? Let us know! cc Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) Kendall Square Association Boston Marriott Cambridge Innovators for Purpose

We couldn’t do what we do at Innovators for Purpose without the invaluable support of partners like NBCUniversal / NBCUniversal Local. We are proud to be one of just four organizations in Boston to receive their 2024 Local Impact Grant. This funding enables us to continue our transformative work empowering a new generation of diverse, socially conscious innovators. The iFp story continues to get stronger by the day.?We now have alum on the campuses of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Parsons School of Design - The New School, Boston University, and more. ?Our alum have interned at amazing companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard, and Tank Design. Our first graduating class, the iFp Class of 2021, will soon be transitioning from college to exciting careers in the innovation economy. Most exciting of all, our pipeline is full of bright, promising young people ready to make their mark. The iFp platform is doing exactly what it was designed to do: unearth, nurture, and raise awareness within the innovation community about the untapped wealth of talent and potential within their midst. Thank you, NBC Universal, and all of our partners, for your unwavering belief in our work! Press Release: https://lnkd.in/gwEG6JzE #youthempowerment #STEMeduation #Designeducation

Innovators for Purpose TRANSFORMING AI Summer Showcase at IDEO Cambridge. Color Theory, Gaming, UX/UI, Coding, Murals, Environments, Video and more by iFp Creatives leading the most strategic design school in the world ??! Wonderful to see many supporting colleagues including Ela Ben-Ur and Rosa Weinberg!

As AI becomes more integrated into critical systems like healthcare, criminal justice, education, and employment, the consequences of unintended gender and racial biases can be life-altering. AJL Program Manager Randi Williams, Ph.D. attended the 2024 Transforming AI Summit, where over 150 attendees, including over 100 of GenZ’s most powerful voices, gathered to address these issues. Participants engaged in AI workshops, showcased innovative projects and competed in an AI story slam. One GenZ participant remarked, "This summit has opened my eyes to how my generation can help alleviate some of the negative effects of biases in AI." Innovators for Purpose (iFp) is a BIPOC-led non-profit design and innovation studio based in Cambridge, MA, dedicated to empowering a new generation of diverse, socially conscious innovators. Join us in the #TransformingAI movement to disrupt the AI landscape, empower those traditionally excluded from technology development, and drive equitable innovation: https://lnkd.in/eDx3egKB

To help local high school students navigate the #STEM field, the Schmidt Center invited students from Innovators for Purpose (iFp), a BIPOC-led non-profit group that provides leadership, develops tools, and empowers young people to create positive impact through design and STEM. Our fellows engaged in a panel discussion on their personal experiences and where the future of computational science is heading. Check out the highlights. #SchmidtCenter #EWSC #BroadInstitute #iFp #InnovatorsForPurpose #ComputationalScience #MLInBiology #Cambridge Sebastiano Cultrera di Montesano Maria Skoularidou, PhD Adityanarayanan Radhakrishnan Julie Laffy Uthsav Chitra

There is so much to see and explore in Kendall Square. For iFp, it all starts at the Looking Glass, our first large-scale installation, designed in 2017 and installed in 2019. This installation has become one of the most iconic symbols in Kendall. It reflects Kendall’s past and future and, more importantly, represents a sense of belonging for our Innovators. When we started iFp, many of our young people shared a feeling of invisibility in Kendall. The Looking Glass is a powerful testament to our young people's ability to add value not just in the future but right now. Through the Looking Glass, every iFp cohort becomes part of a legacy that continues to add value in the most innovative square mile on the planet. Our Innovators are no longer invisible; they are integral contributors to the Kendall Square community. Other stops include One Broadway, the Kendall Square Association, one of our favs the MIT Museum, and a new fav the U.S. DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Human Factors Lab.

Update: "Do Black Faces" was chosen as the winner of The Algorithmic Justice League Cypher Competition. Do Black Faces Not Count As Faces? At Innovators for Purpose, we are committed to empowering a new generation of diverse, socially conscious innovators.?Nothing brings us greater joy than seeing the method to our madness validated. In April 2019, we discovered the work of Dr. Joy Buolamwini, the best-selling author of Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines.?Since then, we’ve been traveling down the AI rabbit hole with our Emerging Innovators. When three of our newest Innovators dropped this rhyme inspired by Dr. Joy and The Algorithmic Justice League, we knew that our message was being received.?Check out this spoken word by iFp Emerging Innovators Liya, Soley, and Meron: Do Black Faces Not Count As Faces? Join iFp’s movement empowering traditionally sidelined voices to innovate in the AI revolution.?#TransformingAI Credits: Written and Performed by iFp Emerging Innovators Liya, Soley, and Meron Images in collaboration with Mid Journey

City of Cambridge Commendation We are extremely excited to have received a commendation from City Councillor Ayesha Wilson on behalf of the Cambridge City Council. The recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in iFp, especially our young people, who are committed to transforming our communities. As iFp continues to grow and expand our impact, we remain dedicated to disrupting the status quo, empowering the voices traditionally sidelined in the innovation economy, and driving meaningful community-centric innovations. Join us in creating a future where every young person can innovate and lead. Together, we can break barriers and make a lasting impact. The commendation reads in part: “Innovators for Purpose (iFp) is an educational non-profit based in Cambridge that introduces young people to innovative technology, design, and STEM fields through hands-on learning that engages the local community. An emphasis of iFp’s mission is to empower students historically excluded from these lucrative and impactful fields by breaking down the external and internal barriers that hold back Black and Brown students. Through their studio and lab opportunities and events like the Transforming AI Summit, iFp has helped make the fields of technology and STEM a reality for students that otherwise would not have encountered it. iFp is promoting a future where the leading industries and sectors of our economy will better reflect the diversity of background and experiences that make up our society.” #TransformingAI #YoungInnovators