SIGNAL Kids Inspires a Bright Future

Building the future workforce doesn’t begin with high school coursework, college diplomas or professional internships. It starts in elementary school classrooms. Data shows prioritizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for students in grades K-8 makes them more successful, engaged and imaginative learners throughout their entire lives. Students exposed to STEM in grade school are significantly more likely to earn STEM degrees and pursue related careers, according to a University of Indiana study.

Over the last 80 years, AFCEA International has supported STEM learning and engagement, enhanced in 1979 by the establishment of its Educational Foundation. But the year 2020 brought about a new outreach tool that delivers educational support directly into classrooms and mailboxes around the country. 

SIGNAL Kids is a free, quarterly publication aimed at engaging kids ages 8 to 12 in STEM fields and careers. It features articles, activities, games and puzzles that expose readers to topics ranging from cybersecurity to AI, robotics, the intelligence community, sustainability, sports and more. As a three-time winner of the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence, including twice at the Grand Award level for “One-of-a-Kind Publications,” the magazine has become a beloved STEM resource. 

At the heart of SIGNAL Kids is its kid reporter program, where the kids themselves conduct interviews with subject matter experts and take on the role of reporter. From researching and formulating questions to leading a live interview with an adult working in a STEM field, the kids gain valuable experience and confidence. 

“Thank you so much for making this opportunity available! It’s such a great way for kids to get real-world experience and exercise a whole range of skills. It’s been a lot of fun to see her get so into it, get out her ‘reporter notebook’ and get to work,” said Sarah Koch about her daughter’s kid reporter experience. 

The process helps kids find new passions and tap into new skills. “Cassius is LOVING working on this article. He’s taking it so seriously and is saying things like, ‘Back before I was a writer I used to...’ I had no idea he was a math kid and a writing kid!” exclaimed Katie Rainey about her son. 

In honor of the 80th anniversary of SIGNAL Magazine, former kid reporters shared their thoughts on what it would be like to live in 1946, the coolest technology of today and future technology in the year 2106. 

SIGNAL Kids Looks Back
What would it be like to live in 1946?

“If I lived in 1946, even without technology and the internet, I would still be able to find new ways to communicate and write to people. I think maybe they played games like hopscotch or tag and found new ways to play.” -Ava Havens, age 11

“In the later 1940s, as a kid, it probably would have been a bit different, but they actually made a lot of different toys in that era, like the first Army men and slingshots.” -Hudson, 6th grade

“I think it would be kind of boring, because you wouldn’t get enough screen time and you have to either call somebody or talk to them personally. But I also think it would be more fun, because you get more outdoor time.” -Jersey, age 9

“I guess people probably didn’t have phones, really ... or things that weren’t real phones. I don’t know if they wrote letters back then...” -Emmeline Mandel, age 12

“You’d be doing a lot more recovering than anything, because World War II just finished. Depending on where you are, like if you were in the U.S., you’d be doing mostly a lot of work. I imagine more kids would be working a job instead of just like playing games or hanging out with their friends.” -Cooper Hoffstetter, age 13

SIGNAL Kids Today
What is your favorite technology that exists today?

“I think technology that is cool to me is like laptops and computers, because you’re able to communicate to people across the globe. I like being able to have phones and iPads, so you can easily carry it around and call or text whoever you need to.” -Ava

“One of the cool technologies that I use is my friend’s VR, which personally I thought was pretty cool ... even though I felt sick afterwards. Another underrated invention is just a hot shower.” -Cooper

“I think AI is really cool. You can make a lot of different things that a normal person couldn’t have done, maybe like five or 10 years ago, which is kind of crazy. You can make a video game in like 20 minutes, and you’d make a pretty good game, and anyone can do it.” -Hudson

“My favorite piece of technology is my smartwatch, because I’m able to get more independence. My parents are able to track my location, and I’m able to just text and not talk or call anybody, so it’s easier.” -Jersey

“I’m big on AI. I like how it’s gotten very crazy about how you can get AI to code stuff and write code for you. I made an AI chatbot at camp last year. It’s a swim bot, where you can type in how long you want to swim or what you want to focus on, and it will give you a workout. I like 3D printing too. I designed and printed a model of a ribbon holder for swim, so when you get a ribbon for competing, you can put it on a clip and hang it on your swim bag.” -Graham Kemph, age 13

“My favorite technology is probably the Alexa, because it can respond and answer your questions and you can ask it more open-ended questions and it talks back to you.” -Emmeline

“I think it’s cool how advanced technology has gotten with planes and ships.” -Micah Watson, age 12

“I do a lot of digital art, using my tablet for drawing and coloring.” -Ella, 7th grade

SIGNAL Kids Looks Forward
What technology will exist in the year 2106?

“Hopefully we will have cures for all the diseases and all the sicknesses, like cancer. I think AI should help us get that. AI will be a big part of the future. I think we’ll be able to use it to help with crops being farmed and to have more food. Maybe in the future, we might be able to 3D print food right in our homes ... like ‘Back to the Future,’ hydrating tiny pizzas into big ones.” -Graham

“I think there will be Venus rovers. Venus is the hottest planet, so they would need heat shields and stuff. And maybe satellites that can literally go along the sun and capture pieces of the sun. And I had another idea for smart watches that would be advanced enough so that you would be able to talk to animals. You could talk to your dog, and your dog could talk back without having to try to figure out what your dog’s doing.” -Jersey

“Eighty years in the future, I predict that people will have a green roof, which is plants and grass on the roof, which will cool down a building because asphalt and concrete absorb the sun’s heat. Green roofs will help by benefiting people and lowering the costs on electricity because of AC and fans. I also predict people will have self-driving cars and won’t need to drive themselves. And I think people will travel in space more often and be able to go to different planets.” -Ava

“So, funny story ... in fourth grade we had a student in our class that was like obsessed with potato-powered flying cars. Maybe he’s right.” -Graham

“There’s still going to be a lot of AI ... Today, people think of AI as more of a threat, because we don’t understand it as much. But in the future, they still won’t be completely OK with it running a lot of things, but people will be less scared of it. Over time, people will have more time to test it out, understand how it works, find out more about it. So it’ll probably be less scary to some people. People will be wanting to include it more in everyday life.” -Hudson

“One of the things I imagine is that instead of people teaching you information, it would be like imported into your brain or something crazy like that. Kind of like in the Matrix, where you could just learn all these sorts of math formulas without having to actually learn it from teachers.” -Cooper

“People probably won’t even have to use a phone or a computer. They’ll probably just have a mental screen in your brain or something.” -Emmeline

“I’m sure there would be a way of getting Wi-Fi anywhere instead of having to buy like a certain place. Maybe people will carry Wi-Fi on their wrists. I don’t think we’ll have flying cars, but maybe instead of a car, they might just have a pod or something you can go around with.” -Micah

“I think renewable energy will be more popular. I think the most common kind of renewable energy will be hydro. And I like fashion a lot. Maybe 80 years from now people will actually wear solar panels and power their devices while they walk around. That would be so nice and cool.” -Ella