Using a Public Library Makerspace to Bring STEM Education to Low-Income Youth

Presentation Format

Poster

Intended Audience

All Audiences

Program Abstract

This poster session will feature examples of "tennis shoe engineering" and "automata" design activities we have used to draw in youth from a public housing area into a library makerspace. Examples of participants’ work will be displayed. We will share about using "improvisational” engineering to encourage hesitant youth to enter into STEM maker activities. We will describe the nature of our partnering with the Tuscaloosa Public Library and Tuscaloosa Arts Council to host the makerspace.

Presentation Description

The underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM careers has a long-standing legacy. The challenges of STEM education via schools is well documented in a vast array of educational reports. Much less, however, is known about what happens for youth outside of school with respect to their science learning opportunities. The social, emotional and physical resources for young learners growing up in low-income settings is not likely available to advocate for their STEM learning. The University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Public Library Weaver Bolden Branch provides a critical nexus for community-based science education through the outreach of the STEM Makerspace.

This poster session will feature examples of "tennis shoe engineering" and "automata" activities we are using to draw in historically underrepresented youth into STEM education. We emphasize the role of "improvisational engineering" as an initial means for encouraging otherwise hesitant youth to enter into design activities. Our distinction of improvisation vs. innovation is important! Improvisation is something anyone can do, typically using materials readily at hand. Whereas, innovation as a true engineering practice requires commitment and focus with the goal of developing sound blueprint designs for the eventual generation of polished products--difficult requisites for youth often having intermittent participation and short-term focus on tasks. Our poster display will show examples of kid-created design products and provide curricular resources to support educators wanting to use these experiences with their own participants. Automatas are especially exciting "simple machines" to make and quite novel as there are few artisans having know-how to make these anymore. Tennis shoe engineering has resulted in youth making comic-strip shoes, 3D printing shoe lacers and latex samples, to list just a few items. We will share business cards having our website QR codes so participants can later explore and download curricular resources for their own use.

In the interest of describing our partnership, we will describe fundamentals challenges of organizing our space and materials and hands-on activities. More substantively, we will share about working with our library and Arts Council partners. Interestingly, both these partners represent disciplines which have increasingly been dismissed from school-based learning. Our partners also include volunteers--an elusive aspect of our efforts which we can discuss. The poster session will afford us opportunity to tailor interactive conversations with viewing participants to explore various interests and concerns about our partnerships.

Location

Embassy Suites Hotel

Start Date

4-13-2016 5:00 PM

End Date

4-13-2016 7:00 PM

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Apr 13th, 5:00 PM Apr 13th, 7:00 PM

Using a Public Library Makerspace to Bring STEM Education to Low-Income Youth

Embassy Suites Hotel

The underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM careers has a long-standing legacy. The challenges of STEM education via schools is well documented in a vast array of educational reports. Much less, however, is known about what happens for youth outside of school with respect to their science learning opportunities. The social, emotional and physical resources for young learners growing up in low-income settings is not likely available to advocate for their STEM learning. The University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Public Library Weaver Bolden Branch provides a critical nexus for community-based science education through the outreach of the STEM Makerspace.

This poster session will feature examples of "tennis shoe engineering" and "automata" activities we are using to draw in historically underrepresented youth into STEM education. We emphasize the role of "improvisational engineering" as an initial means for encouraging otherwise hesitant youth to enter into design activities. Our distinction of improvisation vs. innovation is important! Improvisation is something anyone can do, typically using materials readily at hand. Whereas, innovation as a true engineering practice requires commitment and focus with the goal of developing sound blueprint designs for the eventual generation of polished products--difficult requisites for youth often having intermittent participation and short-term focus on tasks. Our poster display will show examples of kid-created design products and provide curricular resources to support educators wanting to use these experiences with their own participants. Automatas are especially exciting "simple machines" to make and quite novel as there are few artisans having know-how to make these anymore. Tennis shoe engineering has resulted in youth making comic-strip shoes, 3D printing shoe lacers and latex samples, to list just a few items. We will share business cards having our website QR codes so participants can later explore and download curricular resources for their own use.

In the interest of describing our partnership, we will describe fundamentals challenges of organizing our space and materials and hands-on activities. More substantively, we will share about working with our library and Arts Council partners. Interestingly, both these partners represent disciplines which have increasingly been dismissed from school-based learning. Our partners also include volunteers--an elusive aspect of our efforts which we can discuss. The poster session will afford us opportunity to tailor interactive conversations with viewing participants to explore various interests and concerns about our partnerships.