Bio

Chris Regini is a New York State Master Teacher that holds a degree in physics from the University of Connecticut. He has spent 17 years in the Half Hollow Hills school district. As a Raspberry Pi certified educator, he incorporates physical computing, robotics, and CAD into his classes to thread the engineering design process into the curriculum. Chris takes a learning by making approach that allows his students to creatively express their knowledge of content while establishing a digital portfolio.

Their flagship project is a fully automated vertical hydroponics farm and soil-based CNC FarmBot that double as community gardens. Chris teaches engineering in the district Project Lead the Way program and is the advisor to an after school Coding and Engineering Club which explores the integration of various sensors and IoT projects into these systems. Their research has been facilitated by partnerships with Brookhaven National Lab, NASA, and Fairchild Botanical Gardens. Mr. Regini has showcased his students’ work at Suffolk ASSET, Long Island Maker Faire, and the Grow Beyond Earth Maker Challenge. His high school engineering students are currently participating in the NASA HUNCH program. They have presented their work at Johnson Space Center and are producing technology to be deployed for astronauts on the International Space Station

Student work has been featured in local news papers and new casts, as well as educational documentaries and magazine articles. He has sought to broaden the lens through which his young learners view the world by linking his program with nearly a dozen schools on four continents. He looks forward to helping others bring engineering, electronics, scientific computing, and controlled indoor agriculture to their science labs.