Joy Thomas Foundation Inspiring Global STEM Excellence

INSPIRE

NURTURE

MENTOR

INSPIRE NURTURE INSPIRE

The JTF School STEM Program

Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders

The Loyola Technology Center

Nurturing intuitive and inquisitive learners in a dynamic and experiential environment.

Our First and Flagship Program at St. Joseph Boys’ High School, Bengaluru, Joy's Alma Mater.

The Loyola Technology Center

Nurturing intuitive and inquisitive learners in a dynamic and experiential environment.

Our First and Flagship Program at St. Joseph Boys’ High School, Bengaluru, Joy's Alma Mater.

What We Do

The vision of the JTF School STEM Program is to inspire young learners through hands-on exploration, workshops, and interactive engagement that makes true learning accessible across gender and socioeconomic backgrounds. This program has multiple levels of engagement and can be easily adapted to the needs of any individual school.

Since our inception in 2021, we have been able to both deliver learning on a shoestring budget. Schools from rural and underprivileged backgrounds across Karnataka, India have walked away from our lab with a belief that they too can have access to enriched learning and that a career in STEM is not beyond their reach.

Impact By Numbers

Excitement in Learning

1,200+

Students Nurtured

15

Workshops

745

Math Excellence Students

16

Rural & SemiUrban Schools

Impact By Numbers

Excitement in Learning

1,200+

Students Nurtured

11

Workshops

745

Math Excellence Students

5

Rural & SemiUrban Schools

Academic Enrichment

A comprehensive and deeply impactful environment

Exams and Competitions

Teachers and students leverage the JTF curriculum framework to suit their learning interests and needs by creating or modifying weekly school clubs, annual summer camps, and math excellence programs.

Student Outcomes

Successful examples of these programs include the Homi Bhabha Science Talent Search, QUEST national competition, and the University of Waterloo Math Exam.

Glimpse into our day

The LTC Learning Lab conducts several touchpoint mentorships with STEM professionals who regularly visit the school. Additionally LTC hosts annual workshops to engage students in hands-on experiences in learning and to provide students with exposure to non-traditional and entrepreneurial pathways. Students engage with concrete examples of School STEM curriculum, with a spin on real-life contexts.

Homi Bhabha Science Talent Exam October 2023

By Asha Sundararajan • October 22, 2024

Written by Mr. Stephen Nebu and our students On October 21, 2023, the Homi Bhabha Exam took place at St. Joseph's Boys High School (SJBHS) with a total of 55 students participating. The examination commenced promptly at 3:00 PM under the supervision of Mr. Stephen K Nebu, who served as the chief incharge of the examination center. The exam, which is a prestigious platform for young minds to showcase their scientific acumen, witnessed the enthusiastic participation of students from various schools. SJBHS, known for its commitment to academic excellence, provided a conducive environment for the smooth conduct of the examination. The students, eager to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, engaged in the exam with focus and determination. The atmosphere at SJBHS was one of both concentration and excitement, reflecting the significance of the Homi Bhabha Exam in fostering scientific curiosity and understanding. It is anticipated that the results of the examination will be announced on November 30, 2023. This eagerly awaited announcement will mark the culmination of the students' efforts and the beginning of a new chapter for those who excel in the examination. The results were announced on 30th November 2023 and one student qualified for the practical examination. Master Adrith Rai and 22 students passed the examination.

Mentoring STEM Careers

By Asha Sundararajan • October 20, 2024

JTF and SJBHS family and their extended alumnii and friends come together to provide students a window to the world of STEM careers, including offering implementable frameworks and suggestions.

Tinkerlab & Clubs

By Asha Sundararajan • October 14, 2024

Co-curricular academic clubs and afterschool and during lunch tinkering lab offer students a holistic platform to engage with and explore real-life connections to their curricular content, often years ahead of the designated learning structure.

Nurturing Excellence

By Asha Sundararajan • October 21, 2023

Regular Math practice in the form of ixl.com and the participation in Homi Bhabha Science Talent exam, University of Waterloo's Pascal, and Quest competitions

Inspiring Potential

September 9, 2023

Brief Overview The Arduino workshop was an inter school, end-to-end, hands-on, coding and programming workshop. We had 40 participants from St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, St Joseph’s school CBSE, St Joseph’s Indian High School,and St Joseph’s PU College. The workshop was enjoyable and enlightening. The themes included: Basic concepts of circuits Blinking of LED and Time lapse Light the world project: LED and Buzzer Traffic light project with Arduino The Workshop The workshop was designed to empower participants with practical skills and knowledge in electronics, programming, and problem-solving using the Arduino Platform. The programme provided students with theory and practical skills for students to develop programming making students curious, unfolding them towards research and development. The workshop began with an introduction to Arduino, its history, and its applications. Participants gained a clear understanding of the platform's versatility and the potential for creativity. The students demonstrate their project on a drone and rubber ducky (a hacking tool) using Arduino. The students were amazed and were excited during the session. Each participant was provided with an Arduino Uno Board, components, and a set of instructions for a beginner-level project. Students worked in pairs to build a simple, traffic light system, applying the concepts they learned throughout the workshop. Participants encountered common challenges while constructing and coding their projects. Through guided troubleshooting sessions, they acquired problem-solving techniques and bolstered their confidence in addressing technical issues. Our celebrities The programme was graced by the Principal Rev Fr Sunil Fernandes SJ, Vice principal Mr Brian Mckertish, and Ms Asha Sundararajan.

Community

Events

We have scheduled, drop-in visitor workshops for educators, student teachers, and interns from different colleges. We strive to include students from other schools into our programs where possible.

Outreach

Our annual outreach includes the Professional Development Workshop, the Interschool Aurum Festival, and the Online STEM Seed Program.

Aurum 1st Annual Fest, Feb 2-3 ,2024

By Asha Sundararajan • February 4, 2024

About Aurum The first edition of the STEM fest of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Aurum 2024 was a spectacular celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The 2 day event, held on the 2nd and 3rd of February, aimed at inspiring students, and educators by showcasing the wonders of STEM fields through fun competitions, engaging exhibits, interactive demonstrations, and presentations, truly succeeded spectacularly in its goal.

Innovative STEM lab introduces new learning models to inspire students for the next 100 years

By Mani Iyer • December 13, 2022

The St. Joseph’s Boys High School, in partnership with the Joy Thomas Foundation (JTF) and Learn for Life Foundation (LFL) have come together to fund and launch the Loyola Technology Center (LTC). LTC is an innovative lab run by a stellar team of school faculty and global alumni mentors to inspire students to explore STEM topics outside of the traditional classroom environment. The lab has a fully defined curriculum and is equipped with kits like oscilloscopes, soldering stations, desktops, Arduino sensors, and small easy to build cardboard models. The Joy Thomas Foundation was created in 2020 to honor the life and legacy of the late Dr. Joy Thomas, a distinguished alumnus of St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School and an Indian-American STEM genius. JTF’s mission is to uplift underserved students and their families through impactful STEM careers. JTF, LFL and the newly launched LTC at SJBHS are collaborating to level the playing field for underprivileged students at both urban and rural schools across Karnataka, by providing them with access to a world-class STEM learning environment.

The LTC Team

With a grand inauguration and launch by Hon. Governor of Karnataka, Shri Thawarchand Gehlot, on Dec 16th, 2022, the Loyola Technology Center at the St. Joseph's Boys High School in Bangalore, was co-founded by JTF along with the Learn For Life (LFL) Foundation. It is our first School STEM Program. In addition, we are working with 4 sister schools to implement the pilot JTF Online STEM Seed program.

The LTC draws its staunch support from the St. Joseph Boys High School, the Bangalore Jesuit Education Society, the Old Boys Association of SJBHS, and the Josephite Alumni Association of North America (JAANA). We would like to thank Fr. Sunil Fernandes, former principal of St. Joseph Boys High School, Fr. Vishal, administration support, and Fr. Joy, treasurer for their unwavering support and guidance throughout our journey.

A special note of thanks to Mr. Thomas Thekkethala, the LFL cofounder, and to M r. Thomas Phillips , a dedicated volunteer and lifelong friend of Joy, Mr. Shreyas Sanghvi for curriculum development, as well as Mr. Shashi Lewis, SJBHS alum, for student request solutions.