As St. Louis prepares for the 100th anniversary of the Spirit of St. Louis in 2027, the Lindbergh Foundation is convening a select group of education, workforce, business, and civic leaders to help shape an ambitious new STEM initiative inspired by the challenge-driven innovation models that have transformed industries from aviation to space exploration.

The $25,000 Orteig Prize in the 1920’s that inspired Lindbergh’s historic flight helped catalyze a revolution in aviation, one that St. Louis helped bring to life. Decades later, St. Louis would also serve as the birthplace of the XPRIZE, continuing this tradition of challenge-driven innovation. Today, these models drive breakthroughs from private spaceflight to artificial intelligence, underscoring a legacy that is not new to St. Louis but deeply rooted here.

To explore how this model could inspire the next generation of innovators in our region, we are convening a focused roundtable discussion featuring Alexander Nicholas of the XPRIZE Foundation and Danny Kim of QuestX, who will share insights on challenge-based learning and emerging innovation pathways, followed by a working discussion on how St. Louis can leverage the Spirit of St. Louis Centennial to strengthen our regional STEM innovation and workforce future.

We would be honored to have you join us for this important working session.