When June, 2026, arrives, CAMP will be in session at The Tech Interactive, in San Jose!

And it's new, exciting and going to be a lot of fun.

Family-friendly technology and science center The Tech is currently in the final stages of designing their first summer camp experience!

Called CAMP, from the acronym "Create, Adapt, Make and Play", the program is a day camp, hosted at The Tech, for students from third to sixth grade.

The program

There will be eight one-week sessions, with four themes: BioTinkering, Ultimate Upcycle, Kinetic Commotion and Planet Protectors. Each theme is offered for two weeks.

Depending on which themed week they choose to attend, campers may find themselves building a Rube Goldberg machine. Or creating bioconcrete and kombucha leather. Or making a device that can become a different device--or a lot of other fun activities where they don't even realized how much they're learning.

"We have partnered with other organizations to have camps at our site, but we have for a very long time now wanted to do a camp ourselves and...really have ownership of it," says Summer Camps Program Manager Liz O'Hare.

Fun plus rigor equals learning

Liz, whose background includes eleven years as a classroom teacher, as well as designing curricula and training educators at The Tech, says designing The Tech's new program is "super fun".

"I think summer camp is a really amazing time for kids to really figure out what they love and what they are interested in," she says. And that discovery is one of her passions as an educator--along with, she says, being "silly" and having fun.

Liz explained some of the ways combining rigorous subjects with a "fun" approach leads to that discovery process, offered a preview of some of the CAMP programs and shared her vision for the future.

As we complete production on an Over Coffee® special-edition program, please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2025!

"We've crossed a dangerous threshold," warns futurist, entrepreneur and Ubertrends CEO Michael Tchong.

He's talking about the ways scammers can use AI.

Michael, whose entrepreneurial background has included creating four successful startups, has based his career on reaching beyond watching trends, to educate others in what he has termed “ubertrends”.

Ubertrends, Michael explains, are trends that change human values.

Michael, who is the author of three books, is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco.

In addition, he is the founder of four successful startups, including Ubertrends,

In his most recent book “Ubertrends – How Trends and Innovation Are Transforming Our Future“, he identifies eight "ubertrends"of the twenty-first century.

With the motto, “I help you catch the next wave, before it catches you”, he explores the ways these "ubertrends" can affect future success--as well as pitfalls to be avoided.

And artificial intelligence, he says, comes with "a lot of great benefits", but can also help scammers on an unprecedented scale.

While Michael says senior citizens are a prime target of AI scammers, these scams can affect anyone.

"Scams can take all different forms, but the typical ones are the ones that ask for money," he says.

"Innovation is not about predicting the future. Innovation is preparing for it."

Michael shared some of the ways to be prepared and possibly avoid getting “scammed”, talked about his background and discussed ways artists and “arts people” can stay relevant amid the AI surge.

Cosmic Girls Foundation Founder and CEO Dr. Mindy Howard is fueling some exciting dreams for the future--for girls all over the world.

"I know what it...takes to get to space," she says.

"...I think I can help other people get there faster."

Mindy, who is an astronaut trainer and future astronaut, founded her Netherlands-based nonprofit in 2022.

The goal: to provide girls, ages 14-19, with STEM education and skills training to become astronauts--and more.

And Mindy is drawing on considerable expertise, to do so.

A candidate on NASA's "Highly Qualified" astronaut list, she is Founding Director of Inner Space Training, which prepares commercial astronauts, mentally, for space travel.

In addition, as an author and speaker, she teaches leadership skills, drawing on her training as an astronaut. (Check out her book, Blast Off! Train Like an Astronaut for Success on Earth, as well as her TEDx Talk!)

The mission of Cosmic Girls Foundation

"We empower girls globally to become pioneers in the new space economy leading humanity into the cosmos ," says Cosmic Girls Foundation's vision statement on their website.

Accordingly, Cosmic Girls Foundation offers multiple programs with international partners.

Girls can sign up to work with mentors and learn skills including satellite design, leadership, design thinking and much more.

Several of the programs offer virtual space missions, with participants completing simulated mission tasks, while others include public speaking, creativity and career exploration.

In addition, Cosmic Girls Foundation gives girls the opportunity to learn from, and connect with, science professionals, through their virtual Speaker Series.

There's also a "Cosmic Forum", in which girls with similar STEM interests can connect and offer one another guidance and support.

"...I realized what we needed to do is to build a community,so that girls can see other like-minded girls ...and having girls ...online all over the world share their...dreams, their 'geekiness', ...and they're helping each other, so that's kind of the first...element," Mindy says.

How to get involved

And Mindy says Cosmic Girls Foundation is seeking additional partnerships and mentors for these young women, as well as donations to their program. She welcomes potential partners to reach out through the website.

Mindy talked about her journey as a space professional, shared the story of Cosmic Girls Foundation and outlined her vision for the future.