Nanogirl Labs Target Tech Skills Gap With A New Sustainable Programme Co-designed With Young, Kiwi, Female Engineers

22 July 2022—Nanogirl Labs has today launched “Creator Project”—an innovative technology learning programme purpose-built to be ‘the perfect welcome’ to the world of technology & engineering. The all-female engineering team, led by award-winning educator & nanotechnologist Dr Michelle Dickinson MNZM, co-designed the programme with a group of remarkable young engineers.

The first kit in the Creator Project series allows young people to build their own Bluetooth speaker. The kit launched on Kickstarter this week, and is available to backers worldwide.

High school student, Amelia Lockley, has been an important part of the co-design team at Nanogirl Labs, developing the Creator Project alongside Dr Dickinson and the team. Amelia says, “I’m passionate about technology, but the electronics and coding projects I’ve seen aren’t designed to welcome young people like me. We’ve interviewed dozens of teenagers from all kinds of different backgrounds, and quickly realised that if we could create a project that they actually wanted to own, we might be able to help introduce a diverse group of young people to the incredible world of engineering.”

The Creator Project requires no prior knowledge or experience of coding or engineering. Everything needed to create the speaker is included in the kit, and every step of the journey is supported by online videos, all taught by Nanogirl Labs’ team of young, vibrant engineers.

Dr Michelle Dickinson, co-founder at Nanogirl Labs says, “Creator Project is about inspiring and empowering young people—teaching them to be creators of technology, not just consumers. Tech is such a powerful tool for solving the world’s big problems—we firmly believe that everyone, everywhere should have the opportunity to learn these skills.”

“We asked young people what they wanted to build, and they told us—a Bluetooth speaker. We asked them what mattered to them, and sustainability was absolutely top of their list. Creator Project is the result—a Bluetooth speaker kit, crafted from sustainable materials. The wooden speaker case can be opened any time, allowing you to upgrade, repair or hack your speaker any time.” said Dickinson.

“The team have done beautiful work on Creator Project. Seeing these incredible young people co-design the project, alongside Nanogirl Labs’ design team, has been remarkable. Our last Kickstarter campaign with ‘The Kitchen Science Cookbook’ was a smash-hit success—it’s great to be back with a brand new project” says Joe Davis, CEO of Nanogirl Labs.

Creator Project can be found on Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/creatorproject/creator-project-build-your-own-bluetooth-speaker/

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