Spotlight: From Scratch Projects to AI Awareness - One 4th Grader’s Incredible STEM Fair Win

Adalena's STEM Fair Project: AI Generated Art

We’re thrilled to celebrate Adelena, one of our standout 4th grade students who brought home 1st place in the Technology category at her school’s STEM Fair this week—and with good reason. Her project, a deep dive into AI-generated art, was a thoughtful and thorough exploration of artificial intelligence and the subtle digital clues that can help us distinguish machine-made art from real-life photography.

Vera Molnar, a pioneer of generative art.

She kicked off her project by honoring Vera Molnar, a pioneer in generative art, showing striking examples of Molnar’s work that resembled intricate quilt patterns. From there, she guided her audience through the building blocks of AI—explaining what datasets and algorithms are, how CAPTCHA systems actually learn from humans, and what it really means when we say AI is “creating” art.

Real vs AI-generated images

One of the most impressive aspects of her project was how she empowered others to explore the topic themselves. She designed a Google Form quiz, challenging people to guess whether a series of images were real or AI-generated. She then analyzed the results and presented them clearly in a bar chart—bringing data science and design together with clarity well beyond her years.

But her achievement wasn’t just about content. What made the moment even more meaningful was her confidence and poise during the presentation. Typically a soft-spoken and shy student, she rose above the noise of a crowded, echoing gym to deliver her project with clarity, composure, and a clear command of her subject. It was such a joy to watch her step into her voice and share her passion with pride.

And this same student? She’s also been dazzling us in our Kai Coders program all school year! Her final project is a one-of-a-kind axolotl dress-up game, built in Scratch with every sprite and background hand-drawn by her. Her attention to detail, curiosity, and drive to apply what she’s learned sets her apart as a true creative technologist in the making.

She’s one of only two girls in this season’s class—but she’s paving the way for many more to follow. 💪💻✨