Smart Clothing, Smart Girls teaches 4-H youth about fiber science

August 15, 2013

An FSAD undergrad leads course students in yarn bombing a railing.

This summer a group of 24 middle school girls participated in a week-long course, Smart Clothing, Smart Girls: Engineering via Apparel Design, which was conceived by faculty, staff, and students in the College of Human Ecology's Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design (FSAD).

From the Cornell Chronicle article on the course:

Cornell researchers led the girls, from 4-H programs in Livingston, Ontario and Wyoming counties and the Syracuse chapter of Girls Inc., through four modules: advanced materials, wearable electronics, design technology and the engineering design process. The girls participated in hands-on laboratory and design activities, such as fiber burn tests, sewing and draping, and working with circuits and switches. They also observed such state-of-the-art equipment as a laser cutter, thermal manikin and 3-D body scanner – and worked alongside Cornell and industry experts, mostly women, (including a teleconference with a spacesuit designer at NASA).

As the co-administrator of the state 4-H youth program, the BCTR has a direct connection to this course. But other characteristics of this program align with the BCTR's mission and outreach plans:  STEM education, engaging teens, and National Science Foundation funding. Smart Clothing, Smart Girls organizers are working to develop a curriculum and teaching materials to distribute to youth programs around the country.

Program teaches girls engineering via apparel design - Cornell Chronicle