Published: Sept. 11, 2021

Collage of different BBB student tactile projects and booksBBB 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. 

Read more about the award details.