CMRA and Blue Ridge Boost Partner to Expand Hands-On STEM Learning Opportunities

The Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy is excited to announce a new partnership with Blue Ridge Boost, an educational provider based in Charlottesville, Virginia. This collaboration will bring high-quality, hands-on robotics and STEM instruction to students in the region through year-round classes and seasonal camps.

Founded in 2021 by Nora Evans, Blue Ridge Boost delivers engaging instruction in coding, robotics, science, math, and chess. The organization was established in response to the need for affordable, in-person alternatives to remote learning. Since its founding, it has grown into a vibrant learning hub offering after-school programs, tutoring, and spring and summer STEM camps.

“Blue Ridge Boost is doing important work to make high-quality STEM education accessible. By pairing our research-based robotics curriculum with their engaging instruction, we’re helping students build both technical and lifelong learning skills.”
— Jesse Flot, Co-Director, Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy

Through this partnership, CMRA’s proven curriculum will be integrated into Blue Ridge Boost’s offerings, enabling students to engage with technologies including LEGO SPIKE Prime, VEX, Arduino, and NVIDIA Jetson. The programs will emphasize creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration, helping students gain confidence while learning foundational and advanced STEM concepts.

“We want to instill in students that they are capable. They are capable of completing exciting and challenging projects: coding their own video games, building robots of their own design. They are capable of understanding “hard” subjects, like math, computer science, and physics. Most of all, they are capable of enjoying learning.

Learning is fun, and we want kids to develop a positive connection with learning so they continue to want to learn, and want to keep pursuing their curiosity, and want to take on new challenges, with the confidence that they are capable of conquering them..”
— Elaina Bowman, Head of Operations.

Students in the Charlottesville area now have access to new robotics classes and camps powered by this collaboration. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to cultivating curiosity, encouraging deep understanding, and expanding equitable access to STEM education.