Morrison Mentors Inspires Next Generation of Innovators

The wonders of science and technology came alive for Long Island students at the second annual STEM•X Festival, where young minds explored robotics, engineering and virtual reality through hands-on activities designed to inspire the next generation of innovators.

The festival at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City showcased the work of Morrison Mentors, a Hempstead-based nonprofit founded by Executive Director Doron Spleen.

“We're a mobile STEM organization that travels throughout Long Island, the tri-state area, teaching kids about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics,” Spleen said. “We bring all of our equipment, we bring our mentors with us.”

The festival brought together students from school districts across Long Island and Queens for educational demonstrations and hands-on activities.

“We have everything from 3D printers to laser cutters,” Spleen said, describing activities including balloon rockets, computer assembly, drone soccer and augmented reality demonstrations.

The celebration also featured a Halloween-inspired Spooky Science program, food trucks, bounce houses, a petting zoo and other family activities.

For Spleen, the festival represents something deeper than scientific demonstrations.

He founded Morrison Mentors in 2012, naming the organization after Arthur Morrison, who provided free tutoring and mentorship to children at Kennedy Park in Hempstead.

“We needed to scale individuals like him in the community,” Spleen explained.

A Hempstead High School graduate who attended Rochester Institute of Technology, Spleen returned home determined to provide opportunities he lacked growing up.

“I knew what the need was,” he said. “Seeing the tools I didn't have and the resources that weren't available to me ... inspired me to come back and to give technology to another student to change their lives like it changed mine.”

The nonprofit also trains young adults to mentor younger students. Former participants have advanced to careers with companies including Apple, IBM, Microsoft and Google.

“Some of them have even taken one of our programs in middle school or elementary school and then returned as a mentor to teach,” Spleen said.