Ready, Set, Create! How Engineers and Libraries Can Collaborate to Make a World of Difference
From the sidewalks that we walk on to the buildings that we work in, engineering is all around us. Libraries are a wonderful place for patrons to learn about engineering due to their inclusive nature, inquisitive staff, and informal atmosphere. Join the STAR Library Network as we go over resources, hands-on activities, and lessons-learned from Project BUILD, a collaborative project between STAR Net, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the University of Virginia (UVA).
Project BUILD engages youth, their families, librarians, and professional engineers in an informal learning environment with age-appropriate, technology-rich STEM learning experiences fundamental to the Engineering Design Process. We’ll hear from both librarians and engineers that were involved in the project, and learn how they were able to work together to show library patrons that engineering. We’ll discuss how we implemented this project on a nation-wide scale while simultaneously staying regionally relevant, and how library patrons learned that failure is OK – and encouraged! – when using the Engineering Design Process.