Celebrate STEM/STEAM Day with VxRail

What do VxRail and STEM/STEAM curriculum have in common? They both break down silos. VxRail breaks down operational silos within the data center. STEM curriculum integrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics into multi-disciplinary educational projects with real world applications. STEM becomes STEAM by incorporating art and creative thinking as subjective counterbalances to what are traditionally objective fields of study. As the pace of global innovation continues to accelerate,  STEM/STEAM curriculum seeks to address a unique challenge facing our children and educators: How do we prepare young people for jobs which may not yet even exist?  

Dell Technologies recognizes the impact this curriculum can have in preparing today’s youth for tomorrow’s workforce and has donated over $70 million to STEM initiatives since 2014. A great example is our partnership with Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization working to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping young women of diverse backgrounds with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st century career opportunities.  

STEM/STEAM Day is Sunday, November 8, and it’s a great opportunity to encourage children of all ages to get curious about the world around them. While the day is focused on children’s educational development, children are not the only demographic that benefits from continued learning. They are also not the only ones who want to learn in fun and engaging ways.  

Dell Technologies believes in leveraging technology to help make  complicated things simple. We strive to make complex stories easy to understand and share, and to drive creativity and innovation among our audiences. Just in time for STEM/STEAM Day, Dell Technologies has published a pair of apps for iOS and Android devices that provide a surprisingly fun way to explore data center infrastructure!

Infrastructure AR is an augmented reality (AR) experience that delivers an immersive tour of the hardware and software that differentiate VxRail. The app launches an interactive hologram right from your phone or tablet that looks and feels real. Within are 13 interactive animated modules to explore—and it truly is an exploration. The AR platform creates an environment in which the user is invited to discover VxRail and the value it delivers in a fun and exciting way.   

Speaking of fun, Data Center Sim is a mobile game which puts the player in charge of a data center. She is tasked with balancing budget, staffing, and capacity in order to address the needs of the business. Three-tier or hyperconverged—the decisions made will determine the success and growth of the business and– most importantly– the customer satisfaction score! All the while, the player is learning about data center administration and infrastructure. 

When someone’s imagination is captured, breakthroughs are possible. And the younger someone is when they experience technology (or science, engineering, art, or math) that moves them, the more impactful it can be. While younger audiences may not be ready for some of the technical content within these apps, the experiences themselves serve as conduits through which new opportunities can be glimpsed. 

On a personal note, as a result of Infrastructure AR, my own daughter has developed an interest in augmented reality that I anticipate will only continue to expand as she grows. And it is in this spirit that I am excited to share these apps as part of my own participation in STEM/STEAM day.

Source: delltechnologies.com