WEARABLE ED-TECH: STEM FROM DANCE

Demo video of a LED light suit I developed that blinks up to the beat of music. A STEM From Dance student would learn the basics of Bluetooth data transmission and Arduino programming to implement this project.

Demo video of a LED shirt I developed with touch sensors and Bluetooth sound activation. A STEM From Dance student would learn the basics of parsing sensor input data and Arduino programming to implement this project.

STEM From Dance students performing their own choreography while wearing shirts with lights that they learned to program.

STEM From Dance students performing their own choreography while wearing shirts with lights that they learned to program.

Presenting my shirt to STEM From Dance instructors, explaining how its construction and technology could be taught to future students.

Presenting my shirt to STEM From Dance instructors, explaining how its construction and technology could be taught to future students.

WHAT IS IT?

STEM From Dance is a non-profit organization based in New York City that introduces minority female students to STEM through immersive dance and engineering classes.

For example, a STEM From Dance student may learn new dance moves and perform original choreography while wearing a shirt with LED lights that they learned to program. STEM From Dance runs their programming at various schools in the NYC area during the school year and runs a program called Girls Rise Up in the summertime.

How did you contribute?

During January 2018 and again in January 2019, I interned at STEM From Dance, producing wearable tech projects that can be recreated in the classroom and integrated into the STEM From Dance curriculum.

I received a Priscilla King Grey Fellowship to fund my work, and kept blog posts here. You can view demos of my wearable tech prototypes to the left; be sure to watch them with your sound on!

Biggest Takeaways?

  • The realization that it’s possible to combine my love for dance, my interest in educational media, and my technical pursuits in engineering into a meaningful project