The Jubilite - STEM skills for girls

Just one in seven engineers are female, per a CNN story, only 27% of all computer science jobs are held by women, and “women have seen no employment growth in STEM jobs since 2000” reports Forbes. Imbalances start young, as girls and boys adopt social norms that are reinforced by the toys they’re exposed to.

Today, I donated to this Kickstarter: the Jubilite, which is aimed at girls:

Jubilite is an inspiring craft and engineering kit that lets kids create a working lamp that projects beautiful light patterns on the walls of their rooms. Kids assemble the housing, connect the simple electronics, and decorate with colorful, reusable ornaments, stickers, and dry-erase markers. … 

Imagine the look on a child’s face when the lamp she built lights up for the first time! Not only will she have assembled and decorated an amazing lamp, she will have gained confidence in herself and her abilities in the process. And she might not even realize that she has gained valuable STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) skills while being creative and having fun!

Special bonus: My donation goes toward donating a Jubilite to a school. Double special bonus, this project was co-created by a college friend, now an MIT professor. Go Maria!