These STEM Enthusiasts Will Give You a Front Row Seat to Inspiration
FIRST Community Spotlight: Twitch personalities DeeJayKnight and Skylias and FIRST Alum Emma Dumont
Twitch Partners Deejay Knight and Skylias meet the Winsor Wildbots at a FIRST Tech Challenge event.
Later this month, more than 65,000 students, coaches, and supporters will gather across two cities – Houston and Detroit – to take part in the 2018 FIRST Championship Presented by Qualcomm® Incorporated. The world’s largest celebration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) for students promises participating teams and spectators alike an inspiring and action-packed experience that has all the heart-pounding thrills and team spirit of a professional sporting event – and it’s streaming live via the FIRSTinspires Twitch channel.
Partnered Twitch broadcaster Deejay Knight
is a space, sci-fi, and variety-focused entertainer
and a US Air Force Veteran.
Partnered Twitch broadcasters DeejayKnight and Skylias, along with FIRST Alum and actress Emma Dumont, will give viewers a front row seat to all the action in Houston and Detroit as they roam FIRST Championship events to meet teams, chat with their supporters and check out highlights of the robotics action. We asked Deejay, Skylias, and Emma a few questions to find out what excites them about STEM, community, and FIRST Championship:
DeeJay and Skylias, you each broadcast successful channels on Twitch. What inspired you to launch a community on the platform?
DEEJAY: I had an account on the site, and a good friend of mine felt my personality was well-suited to Twitch. That inspired me to start my own channel. I'm lucky that he was right! The community built itself as time went on. My goal has always been to make it a place that I'd feel comfortable chatting in – a place that's welcoming and supportive.
SKYLIAS: It was the need to connect with people who were like myself (aka ‘gamers’). I was just beginning my studies in computer science and having Twitch as an outlet to balance the demand of CompSci was incredibly necessary.
Emma, as a FIRST Alum, how does the FIRST community inspire you?
FIRST Alum and actress/dancer Emma Dumont
is studying mechanical engineering while starring
on FOX series “The Gifted.”
EMMA: The FIRST community inspires me in so many ways. It is truly like a family. I learned all of my strong core values in FIRST and I believe every young person could benefit from participating in the program. The FIRST community is diverse and spans across so many different countries and cultures. It reminds us all that no matter our differences, innovation and teamwork have no boundaries.
What STEM topic or issue most inspires you, and why?
SKYLIAS: Astronomy/astrophysics has always been an inspiration to me because of how it unifies us as a species. One quote that has always resonated with me comes from Carl Sagan, who elegantly stated, “Exploration is in our nature.” These words drive me forward every day to advocate for STEM on Twitch. The Universe is big, REAL BIG! It is full of mysteries begging to be understood. Our species has the minds capable of unraveling many of its secrets, yet we always find more unknowns. It is a place of never-ending questions and I love it!
EMMA: I've always been drawn to explore robotic prosthesis. I'm a comic book nerd so anything that can turn people into cyborgs makes me so happy. On a serious note though, I think robotic prosthesis can do so much good for people. The technology is there – now's the time to make it more economical and readily available to the general populace. I also recently rescued a dog that had a broken leg when she was taken into the shelter – they almost had to amputate it. I love animals, and they really can adapt to any situation, but I still think animal prosthesis would be a cool field to work in as well.
DEEJAY: The most inspiring thing about STEM to me is the availability of resources to properly teach it, as well as the incentive to focus on the field. I had many a resource at my disposal growing up, but not until 11th and 12th grade did I find something that made me truly interested. Building a robot, though? That's an easy and tangible way to get a student to understand why a subject like mathematics is far more important than it may seem at first glance.
Partnered Twitch broadcaster Skylias is a science
entertainer, STEM advocate, and computer science
graduate.
What are you looking forward to most about hosting the FIRST Championship live stream on Twitch?
DEEJAY: I'm most excited to see the students! From what I've seen at the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition events I've attended, the faces of proud, determined students anxious to see how well their efforts fare? It's a sight to behold, and it makes me giddy and excited for the future!
EMMA: EVERYTHING! I honestly cannot wait to host. I think it's going to be so much fun. I always have a great time at FIRST Championship, and of course the thing I'm most looking forward to is the ROBOTS! What can I say? I'm crazy for bots.
SKYLIAS: I’m looking forward to presenting the brilliance of FIRST and all the people who make FIRST what it is today. I hope many viewers tune in on Twitch and see the extraordinary minds of today’s youth at work. Perhaps they can then apply such inspiration to their own lives and in their own way.
Join the conversation! Tune in live via Twitch during FIRST Championship.
April 18-21, 2018: Live from Houston, Texas (hosted by Deejay and Emma)
April 25-28, 2018: Live from Detroit, Michigan (hosted by Deeiay and Skylias)
If you have an inspiring story or piece of wisdom that you’ve picked up through your experiences in the FIRST community, please reach out to us at inspire@firstinspires.org and inquire about becoming a guest contributor for Inspire.