Bird Inc. program continues impact throughout Alabama

Bird Inc., the middle-school manufacturing outreach program hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems (ICAMS), continues to make a significant impact on STEM education across Alabama, reaching thousands of middle school students through hands-on workshops focused on critical thinking.

During the 2025–2026 academic year alone, Bird Inc. has presented to 6,828 middle school students statewide. Since the start of the current grant, the program has reached 10,550 students, with projections estimating that an additional 2,000 students will participate by the end of May 2026.

To date, Bird Inc. has delivered 543 workshops to individual classrooms, providing engaging, real-world learning experiences that emphasize problem-solving and STEM applications. These figures do not include the program’s early outreach efforts in 2023, when Bird Inc. reached an additional 1,953 students before the start of grant funding.

Recently, Bird Inc. has expanded its footprint to middle schoolers at several high schools across the state, including Spring Garden High School, Tharpton High School, Gaston High School, Leroy High School, Luverne High School and Highland Home School.

Educators continue to highlight the program’s meaningful impact on students.

“We absolutely loved the presentation, which was a wonderful opportunity for our students to understand the importance of critical thinking in the STEM field and for life in general,” said Sabrina Sanderson, science teacher at Leroy High School. “My students were asking when Mr. John and Mr. Raheem could come again. Thank you for this amazing opportunity for our students.”

As Bird Inc. continues to grow, its mission remains focused on equipping students with the skills and mindset needed to succeed in STEM pathways and beyond.