Bio

Chris Regini is a New York State Master Teacher that holds a degree in physics from the University of Connecticut. He has spent 20 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 AgTech Lab and soil-based CNC FarmBot that double as community gardens. His high school engineering students are currently participating in the NASA HUNCH Design and Prototyping program. They have presented their work at Johnson Space Center and are producing technology to be deployed for astronauts on the International Space Station. Their research has been facilitated by partnerships with Brookhaven National Lab, Fairchild Botanical Gardens, and the New York State Space Grant Consortium. Mr. Regini has showcased his students’ work at Suffolk ASSET, Long Island Maker Faire, and the Grow Beyond Earth Maker Challenge.

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.