BrainSTEAM

The Problem

AI is moving faster than schools, universities, or most of us can track.

Most of what's out there is perceived as AI slop — and we're so busy trying to keep up and wade through what's useful (or even accurate) that we're missing the real tools already at our fingertips. Here's the gap BrainSTEAM was built to close.

For Parents

The anxious-and-unsure feeling

You're not sure what your kids are actually doing with AI, or whether they're safe — and you don't want to depend on institutions that move too slowly to actually teach them the skills to use AI for a real leg up in education, work, and personal organization.

For Teens & Young Adults

Confident isn't the same as correct

A 2026 Yale Youth Poll found young adults (ages 18–34) were highly confident they could spot AI-generated images — yet got it right only half the time, a coin flip. We train that skill now, before false confidence sets in, while teens build real tools that hand time back for school, sports, and life.

For Everyone

Everyone's talking about it. Where's the payoff?

AI is supposed to save time and make life and work easier — so why hasn't it, for most of us? What's out there is mostly generic, built for no one in particular — definitely not built for, or by, you.

So, What Are the Options?

Here's what's actually out there — including us.

Option A

Enterprise AI training

DFW single class rates $460+, adults-only, mostly virtual, jargon-heavy. Built for companies and profit, not everyday life and community.

Option B

DIY, unsupervised AI use

Free and everywhere — but no safety framework, no mentorship, and no one teaching them to catch it when it's wrong.

BrainSTEAM

One classroom, open to teens and adults

Real AI-agent literacy at a real price — and if your teen enrolls, you can take the seat right next to them or opt into a parent co-class.

Who's Behind BrainSTEAM

Decades of real experience in AI, systems, and the classroom.

We live right here in DFW — hyper-local, and invested in the community we're part of.

Mike Moan

Co-Founder

40 Years in Autonomous Systems Engineering

Colleyville, TX

Four decades in control systems and signal processing for a major defense company, starting back in engineering graduate school. His work centered on the efficacy of the algorithms behind autonomous systems — through an era of AI advancement so rapid it was both phenomenal and career-threatening, demanding a lifetime of relearning. At BrainSTEAM, he brings that same engineering rigor to teaching kids to actually understand the systems they're directing, not just prompt them.

"I want my nine grandchildren — and their generation — to have the intellectual opportunities my decades in this field have taught me. This is my way to pay that knowledge forward: helping them build genuine understanding, not just training, and the critical thinking they'll need to navigate an increasingly complex, AI-powered world."

Steve Carnes

Co-Founder

25+ Years as CIO/VP · Founder, CB SmartMart

Haltom City, TX

Two decades leading technology organizations at the CIO/VP level across financial services, retail, and nonprofits — plus hands-on founder experience building and deploying autonomous AI agents at his own company. This past school year, he taught and fine-tuned Emerging Technology α at a local private school before bringing it to BrainSTEAM. Ms. Evans is vetting learning standards for α, and will continue supporting Steve as he develops β and every future iteration.

"I've watched the promise of computers and the web get turned against us by algorithms built to hijack attention. I want to teach kids to use these powerful tools productively and responsibly — instead of being used by them."

Kerwin Evans

Co-Founder

25-Year Public Educator · Texas-Certified Teacher

Arlington, TX

Two and a half decades teaching Career and Technical Education at the middle school, high school, and college level. That range gave her a ground-level understanding of how learners actually build practical skills — and how families and educators can help prepare them for a rapidly changing world. At BrainSTEAM, she vets the learning standards behind every class before it reaches a room full of teens, starting with Emerging Technology α and continuing through β and every iteration after it.

"At BrainSTEAM, I help build classes that teach real-world application, critical thinking, digital responsibility, and human oversight. My goal isn't just helping students and families navigate an AI-powered future — it's helping them use it confidently, responsibly, and successfully."

Melanie Galaviz

Co-Founder

Founder, Spark Labs DFW

Southlake, TX

A career spent developing future leaders in the teen and college space, while overseeing multi-unit organizations for major global brands across North America — before founding Spark Labs with the mission of building a hyper-local community where learners of every age can build, create, and innovate through hands-on STEAM.

"I watched my own son grow from a LEGO®-loving young child into a teen fascinated by technology, and realized curiosity alone wasn't enough to maximize his learning while also avoiding the pitfalls of technology. I want him and all our community to learn to use AI as a positive, creative, productive tool — with the critical thinking and ethical awareness to use it responsibly."

Our Story
Four different paths, the same conclusion. An engineer, a technology executive, a classroom teacher, and an executive leader creating opportunities for all our kids to grow — none of us think AI safety is an afterthought. It's core to every unit, in every class, across all our curriculum — not a footnote.

The Classes

Built to keep up with AI, not fall behind it.

Emerging Technology α is our first foundational class. β is already in development, launching January 2027. Our commitment at BrainSTEAM: as technology and tools iterate, so do our classes — sometimes even mid-cycle, within the same 12 weeks.

Directing AI agents and writing real code

Starts Sept 15

Emerging Technology α

A 12-week class cycle, hands-on. Ages 13+ — teens and adults learn in the same room, at the same pace, on the same real projects.

Launch special: join by Sept 9 and your first month is free — Sept 15, 22 & 29
The Perceive → Think → Act → Observe loop AI agents run on
Identify a need, create, and direct a real AI project — from concept to deployed app
Class also includes: blockchain, cryptocurrency, and responsible tech use
$297 full price · $198 with the launch special (Sept free) · Spark Labs Southlake · bring a laptop

Enroll Now →

A parent and teen looking at a laptop together

Add-On for Families

Parent Co-Class

If your teen enrolls, we highly recommend joining them for the full class experience — same class, same content, same projects, same pace. You have two options for a Co-Class:

Full Experience: attend every session in person, at a discounted rate
Virtual Companion: receive class notes, directions, and an activity summary each week after class

Stay informed about what your teen is learning — instead of guessing what they're doing or how it'll be useful to them.

Details and pricing options shared at checkout when you enroll your teen.

Real AI skills, built hands-on.

AI is moving faster than schools, universities, or most of us can track.

The anxious-and-unsure feeling

Confident isn't the same as correct

Everyone's talking about it. Where's the payoff?

Here's what's actually out there — including us.

Decades of real experience in AI, systems, and the classroom.

Mike Moan

Steve Carnes

Kerwin Evans

Melanie Galaviz

Three steps, and you're not guessing anymore.

Come learn

Build real skills

Walk away with something that lasts

Built to keep up with AI, not fall behind it.

Emerging Technology α

Parent Co-Class

What we're actually working toward.

Success looks like

What we help you avoid

Ready to stop navigating this alone?