Learning for the Future
by LINDA FRABL | photos by Alicia Jeanne Photography
Carlsbad resident and tech aficionado Kent Meyer hopes to spread the joy of the computer industry to the youth in his community. Therefore, he has started up an Internet of Things (IoT) educational group for children interested in learning more about the computing field. As the owner of Emcraft Systems, a company that provides hardware/software solutions for its customers, Kent graciously offers up his time, his office space, and his company’s hardware for these IoT educational group gatherings.
Discussing the onset of the IoT educational group, Kent, a father of two sons, elaborated,
“It started as a natural progression from my being a Lego Robotics coach and also from teaching programming courses and summer camps for the Carlsbad Educational Foundation. The IoT educational group works because kids continue to show up wanting to learn, and this motivates me to keep contributing time to the effort.”
Name: Kent Meyer
Community: Carlsbad
Hobbies & Interests: Programming, economics, world news
Favorite Local Spots: Alga Norte dog park, Carlsbad boardwalk
Kent emphasizes that today’s youth needs to accept that their future success depends on having a solid working knowledge of technology. He explained, “I know from my experiences in this field that major social changes are coming with IoT and robots and automation. I tell the kids that they will either have jobs programming and working with the machines, or they will be displaced by them. We see this happening all over the place, and it is accelerating.”
One recent activity that the IoT educational group engaged in was a Combat Bots competition. Kent added, “It was a lot fun and it was in support of the San Diego Libraries group that is developing this program. Our robots took a beating at the North County Maker Faire though, because we were newcomers and we were missing compelling offensive weaponry. A lot was learned!”
“I tell the kids that they will either have jobs programming and working with the machines, or they will be displaced by them.”
When Kent isn’t focused on teaching these IoT classes or running his own company, he likes to spend time with his family, enjoying everything that Carlsbad has to offer. He especially delights in taking the family dog to the Alga Norte dog park, and strolling along the Carlsbad boardwalk. Kent’s ultimate goal is to further promote and improve the IoT educational group’s curriculum in order to help the children of tomorrow navigate the wonderful world of technology.
