The Good Stuff, Vol. 144

Welcome to “The Good Stuff,” where we highlight positive news and ways that NAED employees and member companies go above and beyond to give back to their communities! If you have some “Good Stuff” that you would like to share with tED, find out how below.

In this issue of “The Good Stuff,” GE Vernova celebrates the power of giving and creativity through two uplifting events: the transformation of Rockefeller Center into Innovators Toy Land and the launch of a global Innovators Toy Drive.

Opening to the public on Monday, December 8, Innovators Toy Land invites children and families to explore a series of interactive exhibits that showcase how play fuels creativity and how curiosity drives the breakthroughs of tomorrow.

On Global Giving Tuesday, GE Vernova launched the Innovators Toy Drive in partnership with Toys for Tots and global humanitarian organization Save the Children. The global campaign will collect and distribute STEM-inspired toys that nurture creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking— helping ensure that children around the world have access to resources and tools to dream, explore, and invent.

Together, these initiatives mark a joyful Season of Giving, one that honors curiosity, creativity, and community as essential forces for shaping a brighter future.

Innovators Toy Land is hosted by GE Vernova, with participation from leading toy brands such as Lite-Brite®, Rubik’s Cube®, Snap Circuits® and Slinky®.

• • Event: GE Vernova’s Innovators Toy Land

• • Where: Rockefeller Center, 45 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC

• • When: Monday, December 8 | 9AM – 4:30PM (open to media all day; closed to the public for a private event 10:30AM-1PM)

• • Cost: Free and open to the public

Designed to engage visitors of all ages, Innovators Toy Land features a collection of hands-on exhibits that turn scientific concepts into fun, interactive learning moments. Among the featured experiences:

• • Power Patterns: Create vibrant designs on a giant, wall-sized Lite-Brite® using colorful pegs. As guests add pieces, the full display evolves into a collective work of light and imagination.

• • Grid Builder: Explore real Snap Circuits® to build simple circuits and see how electricity moves through a system—just like in a real power grid.

• • Carbon Capture Lab: Reveal hidden “carbon” using safe materials and learn how engineers capture it from the air, bringing carbon-reduction technology to life.

• • AI Robot Explorer: Step inside a digital wind turbine blade and guide an AI-powered robot through an inspection challenge inspired by real clean energy technology.

• • Motion Momentum Lab: Race colorful Slinky® toys down tracks to see how simple physics transforms stored energy into motion.

• • Power Portrait Studio: Enter interactive digital portals where motion-tracking technology transforms your movement into flowing ribbons of color and light.

• • Pattern Puzzle Lab: Test your problem-solving skills with bright puzzles inspired by Rubik’s Cube®, exploring how pattern recognition connects to real engineering challenges.

Innovators Toy Land aims to spark early curiosity, helping today’s kids become the engineers, scientists, and problem-solvers who will shape a cleaner, smarter world tomorrow. Over the next five years the International Energy Agency (IEA) says we’ll need 30 million people to choose the energy industry to power the future, many of those jobs requiring STEM-related skills.

Students from Ampark Neighborhood Elementary School (PS/MS 95 Sheila Mencher, Bronx), a community-driven school focused on nurturing creativity, The Jermain L. Green STEM Institute of Queens, which emphasizes hands-on learning and innovation, and Energy Tech High School, which prepares students for high-demand engineering careers in the fast-growing energy industry, will attend special field trips to experience the exhibit firsthand. Their participation underscores the importance of expanding access to STEM experiences for all students, and reinforces that different perspectives enable bold and innovative ideas.

Through experiences like Innovators Toy Land, children are encouraged to see the world as a place of endless possibility, one where play and problem-solving go hand in hand.

Find more “Good Stuff” articles here on tEDmag.com.

tED wants to know about your “Good Stuff”. If you work with someone who is helping other people, or a group of co-workers that’s creating better outcomes, we want to know about it.

Please send your “Good Stuff” to Marie at mjakle@naed.org and Nicky at nherron@naed.org. Send details, names, and photos if you have them.