Women in STEAM - Breaking Down Barriers
Sitting down with AmeriCorps Maker Fellow Sophie Barrett
“Through art, which isn't actually separate from science, we can thoughtfully introduce women to microcontrollers, physics, chemistry, and any other branch of learning…”
Meet Sophie Barrett! Sophie is an AmeriCorps Maker Fellow (AMF) through the Citizen School’s Makers + Mentors Network (M+MN). She currently serves as a Fellow at her Host Site, Folsom Lake College in Folsom, CA. Originally from El Dorado Hills, CA, Sophie describes herself as adventurous, creative, and fabulous. Get to know her more through our sit down conversation:
What about the Maker Movement inspired you to become an AMF?
I've been making things since I can remember. When I was really little I turned our backyard into a little “fairy city” with twig buildings and canals. By the time I got to college it was daunting, but ultimately a natural step for me to join the Makerspace at Folsom Lake staff. From there, it was Nicole Shuman and Zack Dowel who encouraged me to become an AMF.
What work are you doing at your host site right now? What projects are you excited about?
I'm working on quite a few projects at my space, most of which are centered around capacity building for our service within the community and community partners. One that I'm particularly excited about is a Wikipedia I'm almost finished writing articles for, (until I think of something else), which will be a tool to document and share all of the details of each Makerspace staff members’ and community members’ skills, along with in an accessible, searchable way.
How has the MakeRS + Mentors Network community helped guide your service year?
The Makers + Mentors Network has been so supportive of all of my projects. Aside from all of the inspiration I've gotten from speaking with these incredible people, simply having regular contact with people who are as passionate and excited as I am about Making has been one of the highlights of my personal and professional year.
As part of her year-long project, Sophie created a leaf rubbing activity for students at the Georgetown Nature Preserve.
How are you currently inspiring other females to get involved in STEM/STEAM right now? Who are you personally inspired by?
I'm always looking to bring more women and girls into STEAM. Frequently, that involves talking to individual women and trying to help them break past the glass wall at the door to makerspaces, institutions, and even hardware stores. But it also involves trying to shape and design our space to be inclusive of women. Emphasizing the “A” in STEAM has been really significant. Through art, which isn't actually separate from science, we can thoughtfully introduce women to microcontrollers, physics, chemistry and any other branch of learning in a way that makes their experiences central to the design of the maker space. Which, I hope, is a stark contrast to trying to bring them into a space that was never designed for their presence in the first place.
Give us one fun fact about you.
In my high school yearbook I was voted “most likely to publish a book.”
About Makers + Mentors Network
The Makers + Mentors Network (M+MN) is a STEM initiative of Citizen Schools and advances its mission through three primary models: National Community of Practice, Make For All, and AmeriCorps Maker Fellows. Since 2014, the team has worked toward uplifting STEM mentoring and through the addition of Make For All and AmeriCorps Maker Fellows, supporting maker-centered learning.