News

NSF STEM Day - May 10th

Kathleen Crespin — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 21:29:54 +0000

NSF STEM Day - May 10th Kathleen Crespin Tue, 04/08/2025 - 15:29

This May, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is commemorating its 75th anniversary with a series of NSF STEM Day events across the country. Since 1950, the NSF has invested in ideas and innovations across all fields of science and engineering. Many of the discoveries and innovations that we use every day – including GIS technologies, the internet, AI and Duolingo – are the result of NSF investments in STEM.

Build a Better Book will have 5 partner sites across the country participating. Mountain Lakes Library in New Jersey, Explora Science Center in New Mexico, Arecibo C3 Center (the old observatory) in Puerto Rico, Laredo Public Library in Texas, and CU Science Discovery in Boulder, Colorado.

For those in Colorado, you are invited to join us as we celebrate NSF STEM Day with a unique opportunity to get hands-on with cutting-edge research happening at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��.

When: Saturday, May 10 from 10am-12pm

Where: Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building, ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� East Campus

Click to learn more and RSVP

This free community event will showcase some of the STEM research projects, education initiatives, and public science communication efforts that the NSF has funded on the ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� and CU Anschutz campuses. Everyone is welcome to attend; hands-on activities and scientist demonstrations will be ideal for students in grades 4-12 as well as adults. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Stinger's Café.

Activity stations will include:

Accessible games and design activities with the Build a Better Book project
Art-science exhibits exploring the climate's impact on birds with Side by Side
Technology-integrated paper crafts with the Craft Technology Lab
EV MicroKarts with the ASPIRE Engineering Research Center
Biomedical science demonstrations with researchers and students from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus
Insect-inspired robots with the Animal Inspired Movement & Robotics Lab
Hands-on topographic mapping with our new AR Sandbox (STROBE)
... and plenty more!

Plenty of parking will be available near the JSCBB building. Need an incentive to RSVP? Science Discovery will be sending a discount parking code to all those who submit an RSVP on behalf of their group! Act now – the RSVP closes on Thursday, May 8 at 11:59pm. On Friday, May 9, parking maps, links, and the parking discount code will be sent via email to all who have submitted an RSVP.

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Build a Better Book: Teens Using STEM to Create a User-Friendly World

Kathleen Crespin — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 23:44:18 +0000

Build a Better Book: Teens Using STEM to Create a User-Friendly World Kathleen Crespin Thu, 02/06/2025 - 16:44

Build a Better Book partner Analiza Perez-Gomez with Laredo Public Library in Texas was featured in an article by ALA (American Library Association). Read about how she implemented BBB's approach to using Empathetic Engineering & STEM to create Accessible Products. Read full article here.

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Making a Difference

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 20:09:49 +0000

Making a Difference Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/27/2022 - 14:09

Students at Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in New Jersey jumped on board their school's Build a Better Book initiative called "Making a Difference". In partnership with the School for Children with Hidden Intelligence (SCHI), Ma'ayanot students completed an in-depth STEAM and Maker course developing interactive educational toys and games for children at SCHI. Teachers Reyce Krause, Gillian Cofnas, and Gila Stein developed a robust curriculum that engaged students in 1) Learning through empathy and understanding visual impairments, 2) Product Design and Prototyping through testing, feedback, and iterations of their designs, and 3) Device Construction which challenged students to create products that were both aesthetic and robust enough to stand up to handling and use in the classroom.

After meeting with teachers and therapists at SCHI, students were given a profile of a SCHI child and went to work designing a customized product that reflected their child's interests and abilities. Since many of the SCHI children have cortical visual impairment (CVI), Ma'ayanot students used an array of Maker technologies to design devices with high color contrast, motion, sound, and lights to help focus attention and engage the viewer. After many months of hard work, re-designing, and STEAM skill-building, the students shared their projects at Ma'ayanot's STEAMposium and then presented the final products to the children at SCHI.

Guided by a "Focus on simplicity in concept and design, beauty in construction, maximum impact", the collaboration between Ma'ayanot and SCHI truly made a difference to everyone involved.

Customized projects often incorporated a SCHI student's name and interests. View images of more projects.

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BBB Receives ITEST Award

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +0000

BBB Receives ITEST Award Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 09/11/2021 - 00:00

BBB has received a 4-year National Science Foundation ITEST award! This funding will allow us to study, in collaboration with our partners, the influences of a longer-term, empathy-driven engineering experience on teens’ perceptions of engineering and STEM careers. It will also support the testing and improvement of student-designed products, as interns work to refine products from early prototype to final product. Youth participants in the Build a Better Book internship will spend three to four months engaging in iterative engineering design processes and practices as they design and fabricate books and other products for children who are blind or low vision. This opportunity will enable youth to develop technical skills, including work with technologies like laser cutters and 3D printers, while also including a focus on how engineering work can benefit people.

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BBB Small Grants Awarded

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 20:04:21 +0000

BBB Small Grants Awarded Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/22/2020 - 13:04

Build a Better Book finished out the year by awarding Participant Support grants of up to $750 to ten partners around the country. Each organization submitted a proposal and request for materials that will support their on-going or new BBB projects. Most of the projects will be completed in 2021 but a few have already started. We are impressed with the creativity and innovation of each site in finding ways to explore universal design and accessibility with their students through hybrid and remote learning. Hewitt-Trussville Middle School in Alabama expanded their students' ability to create with a set of Specdrums rings that connect colors with sounds. Mountain Lakes Public Library in New Jersey continued the final stages of a two-year project with students developing a marble run Hex Game. They will be delivering ten 3D printed games to BVI students for feedback on their designs.

Congratulations to our grant recipients and we look forward to sharing more about their BBB projects in 2021!

Hewitt-Trussville Middle School - Alabama
Laredo Public Library - Texas
Yonkers Public Schools - New York
Central Michigan University Center for Excellence in STEM Education - Michigan
Washington Leadership Academy - Washington D.C.
Saint Thomas the Apostle School - California
Middletown Free Library - Pennsylvania
Luna Cultura - Colorado
University of Indianapolis/ Raymond Brande Elementary School - Indiana
Mountain Lakes Public Library - New Jersey

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Empathy Expo

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Empathy Expo Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/17/2020 - 00:00

In Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the local library partnered with several schools and nearby organizations in a project culminating in an immersive exhibit called The Empathy Expo. Christina Keasler of the Glen Ellyn Public Library and John Bower of Ben Franklin Elementary attended the Build a Better Book workshop in Boulder, Colorado and became inspired. When they returned, they recruited teachers within the village's two school districts, as well as Phillip J Rock Center for the Deaf and Blind, C.A.S.E (Cooperative Association for Special Education) in DuPage County, and SCARCE (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education).

Using materials gathered from SCARCE, participating students were given the opportunity to create a better book, game, or piece of art that can be experienced without the help of sight. After weeks of collaborating with peers and evaluation from experts, projects were submitted to the library's Empathy Expo. The expo was an immersive experience, hosted in a dimly lit room that prompted participants to rely on senses other than sight. Blindfolds were provided to enhance the experience if desired. The three day event attracted 300 attendees and local news coverage. Projects were donated to Phillip J. Rock Center and C.A.S.E. for practical use after the expo.

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Adding Meaning to Making

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 16:39:11 +0000

Adding Meaning to Making Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/03/2020 - 10:39

Build a Better Book is featured in the newest issue of Connected Science Learning published by National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Read more about the BBB's guiding principles, implementation in formal and informal settings, and best practices. Online Article.

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Adapting to Remote Learning

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:08:05 +0000

Adapting to Remote Learning Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/11/2020 - 14:08

Build a Better Book partner Neal Mckenzie with the Sonoma County Office of Education was featured in an article and radio interview by KQED. Read about how he helped his students with visual impairments adjust to the rapid change to on-line learning that occured during "Stay-at-Home" orders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. R ead full article here.

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Partner Highlight: Springfield-Greene County Library District, MO

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Partner Highlight: Springfield-Greene County Library District, MO Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/10/2020 - 00:00

Phyllis Davis, librarian at The Library Station has pulled together a wide-range of community members through participation in her Build a Better Book programs. Without a designated makerspace, Phyllis incorporated BBB into a regular "Teen Night" library program on Friday nights, introducing Design Thinking models, and partnering with 3Doodler who provided an education kit with a set of 3D printing pens. With this core group of 25 teens, Davis connected with teachers in the Springfield-Greene school district and preschool students with visual impairments. The teens delved into empathy-driven design and learned more about the kids as "clients" for their Build a Better Book projects. Working throughout November, Teen Night participants used 3D pens to create tactile illustrations of children's books that were shared with preschoolers from the Shining Stars Early Childhood Center in time for 3D Giving day on December 3, 2019. This spring, Davis is expanding the scope of Build a Better Book again by reaching out to the Missouri State Libary for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Teen Night participants are developing tactile board games with BVI students working with the state library for an interactive game night with sighted and blind teens playing games together. Davis has also adapted Build a Better Book for a four-week afternoon homeschool program and notes the flexibility of the project in tailoring projects to siblings of different ages. In a conversation with BBB staff, Davis says, "The great thing about BBB is that you can take it where you want to take it. You can go through the whole design process with this project...[It] can be adapted to whatever format the library wants to do...It's something very motivating for students. The [empathy] videos really blew them away and made them think differently about the kids they were designing for."

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Day of Giving with BBB Partners

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 18:55:16 +0000

Day of Giving with BBB Partners Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/05/2020 - 11:55

Build a Better Book teamed up with 3Doodler to promote Day of Giving on December 3. These BBB partners jumped in and combined 3D printing day with Giving Day to create tactile materials for blind or visually impaired members of their community. 3Doodler donated 3D printing pens and shared examples of how to enhance favorite children's books with tactile lines and details. Read 3Doodler's Blog about related events.

Middletown Free Library (Media, Pennsylvania) - Event on December 1. Promoted via their socials and website. Was covered by ABC News in Philadelphia here and the Delco Times here.

Springfield-Greene County Library District (Springfield, Missouri) - Events on November 15 and November 29. Gave their finished product away to preschoolers on December 3rd. Press release here. The district article covered it here.

Trussville City Schools (Trussville, Alabama) - Hosted a teachers-only workshop on December 1st.

Mindy Brodecki (Springfield, Massachusetts) - Partook in 3D Giving Day festivities in December 3rd. You can see her Tweets here.

Mountain Lakes Public Library (Mountain Lakes, New Jersey) - Event on December 7th. Insider NJ has the press release posted verbatim.

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