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Learn. Build. Innovate.

Learn to build. Build to make a difference.

Students learn the foundations, build projects modeled on real products, and invent features from their own ideas to solve real-world problems.

ApplySee how it works
  • Grades 6 to 12
  • No experience needed
  • A 501(c)(3) nonprofit
A university mentor reads a student's drawing aloud while students gather round

Growing innovators of tomorrow.

What is engineering?

We learn to understand the world. We engineer to make it a better place for people.

Concern for man himself and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors… Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”

Albert Einstein

  • Developed the theory of relativity
  • Nobel Prize in Physics, 1921

Speaking to Caltech students, 1931

Black and white portrait of Albert Einstein

The progressive development of man is vitally dependent on invention… Its ultimate purpose is… the harnessing of the forces of nature to human needs.”

Nikola Tesla

  • Invented the AC induction motor
  • Pioneered alternating current (AC) power

My Inventions, 1919

Black and white portrait of Nikola Tesla

It is a great profession… Then it elevates the standards of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer's high privilege.”

Herbert Hoover

  • Mining engineer and 31st U.S. President
  • Led World War I relief that fed millions

The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover, 1951

Black and white portrait of Herbert Hoover

What is
CurioLab?

We give students the full journey to engineer, and to become engineers who make life better for the people around them.

With a university mentor beside them, students go from their first lesson, to a working build, to an invention of their own.

  1. UnderstandLearn the core concepts behind the technology.
  2. Build and ModifyApply what you learned to create a working system.
  3. InnovateDesign your own ideas into a solution for a real need.

Learn foundations

  • Short, hands-on lessons teach the core concepts behind each technology.
  • Our own lesson platform puts the steps, the code, and a live preview side by side.
  • A mentor is there when something doesn't make sense yet.

Course libraryComing soon

Two students work through a lesson together on a laptop
A CurioLab lesson: instructions on the left, HTML code in the middle, and a live preview of the student's first website on the right

Build and modify

  • Follow a guided build to assemble the core project.
  • Connect the main components and understand how they work together.
  • Create a common starting point that every student can build on in their own direction.
  • A mentor and a student work through code together on a laptop

    Code

  • The wiring and microcontroller inside a student's alarm clock

    Electronics

  • A white 3D-printed alarm clock enclosure designed by a student

    3D modeling and printing

  • Student builds with screens, keypads and laser-cut cases on display

    Systems

Innovate your own features

  • Choose and design a feature that solves a common problem you discovered.
  • Make the project yours with your ideas, designs, and solutions.

These students all started from the same alarm clock. Here is what they turned it into.

  • A red alarm clock shaped like a game character, its dome glowing warm yellow

    Wake-up light

    A light that slowly brightens to wake you, instead of a loud alarm.

    For people sensitive to loud alarm noises

  • A black 3D-printed alarm clock with a keypad, its screen showing a vibrating alarm

    Silent vibrating alarm

    Wakes you with vibration instead of sound.

    For people who are hard of hearing

  • A pink alarm clock whose screen reads: Alarm active! Press 3 buttons, one at a time

    Three-button shut-off

    The alarm stops only after three buttons are pressed, one at a time.

    For people who switch alarms off half asleep

The annual challenge

One shared challenge. Many original inventions.

Every team builds the same base prototype, then invents its own solution to a real need.

Join this year's challenge

  1. One annual challenge

    Inspired by a real human need

    1Foundations to engineeringLessons, labs, and curriculum
    2Base prototype buildEvery team builds the same product first
    3Research real-world problemsEach team finds a problem worth solving
      1. Design

      2. Team A

        Solution

      1. Design

      2. Team B

        Solution

      1. Design

      2. Team C

        Solution

    Different solutions, one shared drive for social impact

Why CurioLab?

We don't just teach students to build projects. We teach them to become engineers.

  • Ownership

    Students own the skills, the knowledge, and ultimately the solutions they build.

  • Full Path

    Students learn, then build, then innovate. Every phase is part of the program.

  • Innovation

    We do not stop at the basic project. Inventing something new is built into how we teach.

Built by students

Real projects, designed and wired by CurioLab students

See all projects
  • Alarm Clock

    Explorer

    Alarm Clock

    A digital alarm clock with timer and alarm + snooze functionality.

  • Pomodoro Timer

    Explorer

    Pomodoro Timer

    A physical timer that runs a Pomodoro-style focus schedule, alternating work and break intervals for study sessions.

  • Mini Digital Piano

    Explorer

    Mini Digital Piano

    A small playable piano with physical keys that produce different musical notes through a buzzer.

  • Electronic Safe

    Builder

    Electronic Safe

    A 3D-modeled safe enclosure with a working locking mechanism and passcode entry, built piece by piece from the circuit to the CAD model.

  • Robotic Car

    Builder

    Robotic Car

    A remote-controlled car students wired and programmed to drive forward and backward on command.

  • High-Power LED Lighting Controller

    Builder

    High-Power LED Lighting Controller

    A controller that drives high-power LED lighting with adjustable brightness, switching real power loads safely.

  • Robot Desk Buddy

    Builder

    Robot Desk Buddy

    A small desktop companion robot that reacts to its surroundings with movement and simple expressions.

A university mentor checks in on a student's work during a session

Our mission

  1. 1

    Empower the next generation with confidence, creativity, and ownership in STEM.

  2. 2

    Develop student leaders who use engineering to serve and uplift their communities.

Why?

We help students develop the confidence to recognize problems, and the belief in their own ability to make a difference.

Our vision: a future where every young person has the confidence, skills, and opportunity to turn curiosity into meaningful inventions.

Read our mission

Who it's for

Find your way into CurioLab

Ready to start building?

No experience needed. Find the chapter nearest you, then tell us a little about your student.

ApplyFind a chapter
Two students wire an RFID card reader on a breadboard while its screen reads Scan your card