Research Projects
Somos Ingenieros/We are Engineers was a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project (terminated 4/25/25). Stories to Solutions, also called Somos Ingenieros/We are Engineers, involved families with 5- to 8-year-old children as design partners in creating engineering learning activities for community and museum settings. The co-design work was aimed at ultimately creating engineering learning opportunities for children in the local community and museum settings. This project involved a collaboration with our research team at Loyola, educators at Chicago Children’s Museum, and community leaders at Palenque LSNA.
Ciencia en Relatos was a National Science Foundation-funded project (terminated 4/25/25). This project, also called Ciencia en Relatos/Science in Stories, focused on cultural and familial storytelling practices that can support early science learning and contribute to educational opportunities in STEM. The project was in collaboration with New York University (G. Melzi) and University of California Santa Cruz (M. Callanan).
TALES: Tinkering and Learning Engineering Stories is a museum-based project that investigates how stories can be integrated into informal STEM learning experiences for young children and their families. We are collaborating with long time partners the Chicago Children’s Museum, Northwestern University and a new addition, Roosevelt University.
LabVenture is a project that addresses the challenge of how to increase retention and use of learning from short-duration experiences, taking place in the LabVenture program at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). This project is funded by the Advanced Informal STEM Learning (AISL) and the Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) programs.
TRAEL: Tinkering Reflection and Engineering Learning is a museum-based project is funded by the National Science Foundation. It is focused on how children can learn about and develop an interest in engineering and science through engagement with their parents.
EEE: Engaging Engineering Experts is a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its STEMeX initiative. It involves community experts providing engineering programs at Evanston Public Library and Chicago Children's Museum.
Past Projects: Our lab has investigated children's learning about engineering and science, and the role of parent-child conversations in a variety of ways; Children's Memory Study, Family Learning in Museums, and Learning with Objects. Past partners in these works include the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Children's Museum, and The Field Museum.
Somos Ingenieros/We are Engineers was a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project (terminated 4/25/25). Stories to Solutions, also called Somos Ingenieros/We are Engineers, involved families with 5- to 8-year-old children as design partners in creating engineering learning activities for community and museum settings. The co-design work was aimed at ultimately creating engineering learning opportunities for children in the local community and museum settings. This project involved a collaboration with our research team at Loyola, educators at Chicago Children’s Museum, and community leaders at Palenque LSNA.
Ciencia en Relatos was a National Science Foundation-funded project (terminated 4/25/25). This project, also called Ciencia en Relatos/Science in Stories, focused on cultural and familial storytelling practices that can support early science learning and contribute to educational opportunities in STEM. The project was in collaboration with New York University (G. Melzi) and University of California Santa Cruz (M. Callanan).
TALES: Tinkering and Learning Engineering Stories is a museum-based project that investigates how stories can be integrated into informal STEM learning experiences for young children and their families. We are collaborating with long time partners the Chicago Children’s Museum, Northwestern University and a new addition, Roosevelt University.
LabVenture is a project that addresses the challenge of how to increase retention and use of learning from short-duration experiences, taking place in the LabVenture program at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). This project is funded by the Advanced Informal STEM Learning (AISL) and the Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) programs.
TRAEL: Tinkering Reflection and Engineering Learning is a museum-based project is funded by the National Science Foundation. It is focused on how children can learn about and develop an interest in engineering and science through engagement with their parents.
EEE: Engaging Engineering Experts is a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its STEMeX initiative. It involves community experts providing engineering programs at Evanston Public Library and Chicago Children's Museum.
Past Projects: Our lab has investigated children's learning about engineering and science, and the role of parent-child conversations in a variety of ways; Children's Memory Study, Family Learning in Museums, and Learning with Objects. Past partners in these works include the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Children's Museum, and The Field Museum.