Morphing Matter for Girls Designing interdisciplinary learning experiences to broaden teenage girls participation in STEM

Abstract

Morphing Matter (MM) is an emerging multidisciplinary field that combines material science and digital fabrication. It empowers people to engineer materials that respond to a specific energy or stimuli and transform its shape or other characteristics such as stiffness, opacity, and phase. This poster introduces creative pathways with MM to engage girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, sparking interest in the field. We share our experience designing a set of learning tools that introduce novices to MM by fabricating morphing artifacts triggered by water. Further, we present a pilot MM workshop highlighting our reflections on designing learning experiences to foster high-school-aged girls' curiosity and interest in STEM.