foundry10, co-founded by UW Bothell alumna, supports summer camps

Children learning about biotech as part of a foundry10 funded program. (Photo/Hailey Williams)

Alumna Lisa Castaneda came to UW Bothell to pursue a Master of Education in the School of Educational Studies after years of teaching math and science to kindergarten and middle school students. Her love of video games and classroom experiences led her to dive into applied research, exploring how students could learn and conceptualize ideas by designing levels for Portal 2.

Lisa Castaneda, School of Educational Studies alumna

In her final quarter, Castaneda met the founder of the company who developed the game she used for her research: Gabe Newell. After talking with Newell, CEO and founder of the video game company Valve Software, they realized they had much in common when it comes to their perspectives on learning — the value of video games in education and the importance of educational research.

From scratch, Newell and Castaneda developed foundry10, an organization focused on educational research, applying their research into real-life settings with students.

Over the years, foundry10 has actively supported educational research and programs as well. In the past six years, the organization has supported more than 28 UW projects and programs, including funding the BioImpact Summer Camps for high school students hosted by our Center for Biotechnology Innovation & Training.

Learn more about Castaneda’s work and foundry10’s research in the full UW Bothell story, “From teacher to CEO — an alumna leads change in education.”