Kids in tech: No. 9 Baltimore tech trend of 2016

The end of the year is a time to think about what’s next for 2017, but it’s also worth reflecting on how we got here. We’re looking back at some of the themes that kept coming up in our coverage of Baltimore’s tech community in 2016. See the full list of 2016 trends here.

Look out. The next generation is coming.
Nine-year-old Jacob Leggette attends Digital Harbor Foundation. The Sandtown resident and his 3D-printed bubble wand made such an impression at the White House Science Fair that President Obama ended up taking his suggestion to form a group of kid science advisors. (He also won a Baltimore Innovation Award).
Bella Palumbi is 14, and she has a list of VR projects she’s working on.
At the Baltimore Underground Science Space, students are working on a solution that could help clean the harbor.
A conversation between police officers and the tech community started with kids at the Protect & Serve Hackathon.
The city also has plenty of organizations that believe teaching tech skills is key to jobs. Ed Mullin gave students a tour of manufacturing sites on Election Day. Code in the Schools gave kids a summer job learning code. Members of UAV firm Global Air Media taught West Baltimore kids how to fly drones.
Tech is often seen as the future in and of itself. After watching their skills all year, it’s clear that the future lies with the youth.