April 1, 2018

By guest-blogger, Tribhuvani, a 5th grader and an AlligatorZone Ambassador

On Sunday, March 25, 2018, startups Paybee and Swarm Technologies were presented by their respective founders, Rajeev Prasad, and Sara Spangelo Ph.D. at a free public event by AlligatorZone held at Rinconada Library in Palo Alto, CA. This AlligatorZone event program was run for their community by kid volunteers coached under AlligatorZone’s community leadership initiative called AlligatorZone Ambassadors. This guest blog post is by Tribhuvani, an AlligatorZone Ambassador.

Paybee

(paybee.io)

Have you ever wanted to donate to a place, but do not have the money to pay right then? You promise yourself you will donate next time you come. Next time you forget and the same process is repeated again and again.

An excellent entrepreneur named Rajeev had the same problem. To solve the problem Rajeev created a app called Paybee. In the app you just scan the QR code of the foundation, and you can donate the amount you want.

This way is more convenient and the foundation you are donating to gets more money. This way is convenient because you can just go to the app and pay. The foundation gets more money since you can pay right then, and do not forget.

Swarm Networks

http://swarm-technologies.com/

Have you ever texted someone without using the internet or phone connection? That is what Sarah and Ben created. They created a gateway that works like a Wi-Fi hotspot, Low orbit earth satellite, and a ground station.

The functionality sounded simple. After connecting to the gateway from a mobile phone (similar to connecting to wi-fi), one can start sending messages. A gateway is a device that has electronic, palm sized rectangle panels. You send a message when you are near the gateway. The low orbiting earth satellite in space gets the message from the gateway through antenna. Then the satellite will send the message to a ground station. A ground station is a computer with an antenna.

This is very useful for remote villages that have no connection, for Agriculture, Maritime Shipping, Logistics etc. They can send messages using this device. Also, when a natural disaster strikes, you can use it to communicate.

For more information on how to volunteer as an AlligatorZone Ambassador, please visit http://alligatorzone.org/parents/ambassador. For information on AlligatorZone, visit AlligatorZone.org.

The author, Tribhuvani, an AlligatorZone Ambassador, is in 5th grade and likes to swim, ice-skate, and dance. AlligatorZone was an excellent experience for her, she says.

March 4, 2018

This month’s AlligatorZone in Palo Alto, CA, will feature Sara Spangelo, Co-founder and CEO of Swarm Technologies, a new start-up developing the world’s smallest two-way communications satellites. (Parents can register at http://bit.ly/2o6SjtR)

AlligatorZone, where kids meet cool startups, offers free public events regularly in various cities for startup founders to do a product-show-and-tell for youngsters and engage them in a free-wheeling conversation.

These gatherings offer invaluable lessons for families with youngsters, because one never knows what will inspire our children to become change-makers and innovators. Sometimes the impact can’t be measured directly, but they can be felt.

As parents ourselves, we notice that the nice thing about AlligatorZone is how it takes away the burden from a parents’ shoulders of having to talk to a youngster about following the example of someone who is going great things — only to be met a glazed look in the kids’ eyes or the rolling of a teen’s eye, and instead actually allows a family to enjoy a shared social experience that’s very enriched with meaningful interaction without anyone preaching to our kids.

As in Tampa Bay’s sessions this month, for Silicon Valley also, at the March 25th, 2018 event in Palo Alto’s Rinconada Library, we believe that having Sara as a presenter will not only be a great inspiration for our daughters in their formative years, but also for youngsters to know the value of higher education.

At the event, we believe that the youngsters will also learn about satellite communications technology (of course), about what a career path that winds through Google X and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) can lead to, and what the challenges are with making devices connected and communicating with one another.

We believe the youngsters will also learn how the sky is the limit when one is a continuous learner of technologies. From Sara’s linkedin profile: Her research interests include analytical modeling, simulation, multi-disciplinary optimization, stochastic scheduling, Model-Based Systems Engineering, GPS and tracking for small satellites, and optimal path planning with solar-powered UAV applications. Top 32 Canadian astronaut finalist in 2017.

Registration is required for each AlligatorZone event. Parents can use this link to register and reserve seats for the whole family: http://bit.ly/2o6SjtR.

Tag: satellites

Startups Paybee and Swarm Technologies, in the words of a 5th Grader

Paybee

Swarm Networks

What our youngsters can learn from this month’s AlligatorZone in Silicon Valley, featuring the high tech woman entrepreneur ‘connecting the world with tiny satellites’