STEAM TEAMS: Training for SNAP Circuits and PhET Simulations

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The IEEE Pikes Peak Section STEAM-TEAMS Monthly Meeting for June will focus on a special two-session introduction to Snap Circuits and PhET Interactive Simulations designed to help prepare volunteers, students, parents, and future mentors for the 2026 Cool Science Carnival Day and Festival events scheduled from October 3 through October 18, 2026.

This session is part of a larger effort to build a sustainable and scalable STEM outreach pipeline through hands-on learning, mentorship, and community engagement. Participants will experience how physical Snap Circuits activities can be combined with PhET simulations to help students visualize invisible engineering and science concepts such as current flow, switches, LEDs, motors, conductivity, logic, and photonics principles.

Unlike previous STEAM-TEAMS meetings that focused primarily on general outreach coordination and introductory demonstrations, this June session will place greater emphasis on instructional preparation, guided demonstrations, and volunteer readiness for large-scale public STEM engagement during Cool Science events.

Topics and Activities Include:
• Hands-on Snap Circuits demonstrations
• Guided PhET simulation activities
• Connecting physical circuits with virtual simulations
• STEM outreach strategies for families and K-12 students
• Volunteer preparation for Cool Science Carnival Day
• Building mentorship and leadership through STEM activities
• AI-assisted multimedia concepts for future outreach support

This June session is intended to serve as the first of multiple follow-up training and preparation sessions leading into the October Cool Science events. Additional sessions will continue to expand demonstrations, volunteer coordination, mentorship opportunities, and educational content development throughout the summer and early fall.

The IEEE Pikes Peak Section continues to explore ways to make engineering education more visible, interactive, and family friendly while strengthening leadership development through mentorship and community service.

Reference:
Snap Circuits STEM Outreach Resource:
https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak/snap-circuits

Previous IEEE vTools Event Example:
https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/556262


  Date and Time

  Location

  Hosts

  Registration


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  • 1175 Chapel Hills Dr., ENT Conference Room
  • Colorado Springs Co, Colorado
  • United States 80919
  • Building: 21C Library
  • Room Number: ENT Conference Room
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  Speakers

John

Topic:

Training for SNAP Circuits and PhET Simulations

 

 

Biography:

Dr. John Santiago is a retired United States Air Force officer with over 26 years of service in research, development, and acquisition, including work in precision-guided munitions and advanced technologies. Following his military career, he spent more than two decades in higher education as a professor and mentor, teaching electrical engineering, systems engineering, computer engineering, physics, and mathematics while guiding senior design and capstone projects.

He is an active leader in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), currently serving as the Region 5 Educational Activities Coordinator and a leader within the IEEE Pikes Peak Section. Dr. Santiago has been recognized for his contributions to STEM education, mentorship, and community engagement, including designation as an IEEE STEM Champion. His work focuses on developing sustainable leadership capacity through engineering education, mentorship pipelines, and community partnerships.

Dr. Santiago is the creator of the PyramidX-OS leadership framework and the STEAM-TEAMS initiative, which integrates technical skill development, entrepreneurial mindset, and mentorship to support workforce readiness and leadership growth across students, professionals, and communities. His programs emphasize the principle that skillset, mindset, and mentorship together create lasting impact.

He continues to volunteer extensively, developing AI-assisted educational resources, community STEM programs, and leadership training initiatives designed to improve the human condition through technology and service.

 

Email: john.santiago@ieee.org




Agenda

SNAP Circuits:  https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak/snap-circuits

PhET Simulations:  https://r5.ieee.org/pikespeak/phet-demos

Session 1 - Introductory Lesson:  Build, Sketch, Explain, Improve Instructional Loop

Session 2 - On-Off Communication, Morse Code,