Introducing the SpinWheel by Yale GradSWE: a colorful, fun, tangible way to teach and learn physics and computer science! The SpinWheel is a programmable STEM educational kit launching on Kickstarter on Monday March 16, 2020. You can visit our pre-launch page and sign up for a notification when the campaign officially begins.
United by a passion for teaching science to younger students, PhD students Elise Bullock, Jenna Ditto, Bridget Hegarty (PhD ‘19), Stefan Krastanov (PhD ‘19), Emily Kuhn, Rebecca LaCroix, and Samantha Pagan began developing the SpinWheel during the summer of 2019. The kit is designed for anyone 12 years and older, and comes with a SpinWheel (that can be worn as a keychain or jewelry) and guided activity booklet (to learn to turn the SpinWheel into a step counter, compass, and more!).
The team held its first feedback session with local middle school students in February. Students worked through an activity called the Biology of Sight. A draft of this lesson can be found online. With constructive feedback on their lesson and on the device itself, the team is moving forward excitedly with fine-tuning the rest of the guide's activities!
The SpinWheel team is committed to inspiring more girls and minorities to pursue science and engineering, and seeks to use the SpinWheel to spark students’ interest in these fields and explore the wonders of STEM outside the classroom. All proceeds from the Kickstarter campaign go towards funding Yale Society of Women Engineers science outreach events for students across Connecticut. To learn more about the SpinWheel, visit our website.