Kieran Casey, of Port Jefferson, makes 3D-printed STEM kits

A Port Jefferson teen is working to introduce science, technology, engineering and math concepts — collectively the fields known as STEM — to children in his community.

Kieran Casey, a junior at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, has been creating STEM kits featuring physics-based activities such as adjustable catapults and rubber band-powered cars through Project Engineer Outreach, an initiative he launched last year. Each kit contains 3D-printed parts and a link to a YouTube video in which he guides kids through the building process and explains the science behind the project, he said.

So far, Casey has deposited about 50 kits into little free libraries, which are neighborhood book exchanges. He also showcased his kits last month at the grand opening of the Port Jefferson Free Library’s teen center and said he is beginning a collaboration with the library to distribute the kits through its children’s department.

“STEM has had such a positive impact on my life that I wanted to design a free gateway for children to get access to hands-on STEM education,” said Casey, adding his love of STEM education started while playing with Legos and other toys as a child. “I’ve done a lot of research and it’s most important for kids to get interested in STEM at the preadolescent age because the retention rate is about 80% greater than if you were to learn it in high school.”

Casey, 17, creates his kit parts using his family’s 3D printer, which he said allows him to make each kit for as little as 50 cents. He is looking to recruit other local students to help design new kits, create instructional videos or develop new distribution methods, he said.

“If somebody else has access to 3D printers at their school anywhere across the country, all I have to do is send them the files and they can start printing them for their own communities,” Casey said.

To help cover expenses, Casey secured a $500 grant from Project Illuminate, a program sponsored by the Melissa K. Bambino Melanoma Foundation of East Setauket, which provides small grants to assist youth with service projects.

“What makes Kieran so impressive is not that he is a good student or a straight-A kid, but that he genuinely loves learning,” said Eva Grasso, an Earl L. Vandermeulen school librarian. “Kieran is a natural tinkerer, experimenter, explorer and thinker.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.