Cornell Tech

NYC FIRST STEM Centers bring hands-on, sustained STEM education and FIRST robotics programs to schools and communities that do not typically get access to the advanced equipment and expert teaching resources that they need and deserve. The  STEM Center is located in the Tata Innovation Center, located at 11 E. Loop Rd., New York, NY 10044, on Roosevelt Island.

Volunteer / Mentoring Opportunities

We are seeking mentors that can offer guidance to our students during open hours at the Roosevelt Island location. We are specifically looking for volunteers who can offer 1-3 hours of their time each week and are regularly available one day a week Tuesday to Friday and Sundays on a monthly basis. Responsibilities would include helping support students with your skillset.

‍

Professional Development

We run formal professional development sessions for NYC DOE teachers and others.  These sessions are focused on Design Thinking and Rapid Prototyping approaches for teachers' curricula. To learn more about scheduling Professional Development please contact Talya Stein at talya@nycfirst.org.


Private Events & Workshops

Book a Private Events and/or Workshop in our beautiful Cornell Tech location. You will have access to all of our shop and fabrication equipment as well as enjoy the stunning views from the Tata Innovation Center. To book an Event or Workshop please contact Talya Stein at talya@nycfirst.org.

‍

‍

​




The Team

Isaiah Wilson

FIRST AmeriCorps Member

Isaiah Wilson

FIRST AmeriCorps Member
Isaiah is a FIRST Alum(one year FTC and four years FRC), and former student at the Cornell Tech STEM Center. He has experience in mechanical engineering, manufacturing and design, as well as business/admin. He looks forward to working with students and becoming more involved in programming and electronics.

Dana Schwimmer

Lead Teacher

Dana Schwimmer

Lead Teacher
Dana is a Lead teacher at the STEM center at Cornell Tech. She is a maker, digital designer and fabricator with a versatile experience as an educator who enjoys working on projects at the intersection of design & technology. As an educator, she created programs at fabrication labs, teaching children and adults digital fabrication and physical programming as part of the learning process.

Talya Stein

Program Manager, Education and Technology

Talya Stein

Program Manager, Education and Technology
Talya is the Co Program Manager for NYC FIRST STEM Center at CT. She is coaching 5 teams this season. She is an Educator, Designer, Fabricator, and Artist. She believes good design should be simple, clear, intuitive and as much as possible - interactive. Her strong background in graphic design, and her experience in the physical computing world allow Talya to cross the border between the screen and the physical. She is a proud member of the maker movement and has been inspired by everything from Maker Faire, to ITP, to Vidcode, Hack it Back, TedX.

Yoav Friedlander

Program Manager, STEM Programs

Yoav Friedlander

Program Manager, STEM Programs
Yoav is an Program Manager (Special STEM Projects) for NYC FIRST STEM Center at CT. He is a lead mentor for 5 teams this season. Yoav received his MFA from the department of Photography Video and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Yoav is a photographer and a scale model artist, an editor, curator designer and educator.

Onkar Dhillon

STEM Instructor

Onkar Dhillon

STEM Instructor
Onkar began working at NYC FIRST after interning at the Cornell Tech STEM Center in the summer of 2022. However, his time at FIRST began in 2019, as a programmer on the Redhawk Robotics FTC team 16798. As team captain he helped to advance his small FTC team to a full fledged FRC team. Prior to joining FIRST, Onkar’s passion for helping students began as he taught students martial arts. Now, he is more focused towards expanding and sharing his expertise and opportunities for other students to find their place in the world of STEM. Currently, Onkar is working towards a computer science degree with a minor in cyber security at Adelphi University.

11 E Loop Rd #6A,

New York, NY 10044