MAKER Simple: Making Activities to Expose Middle School Girls to STEM Careers

This paper presents MAKER Simple, a framework designed to engage middle school girls in STEM through accessible maker activities. Despite significant efforts to increase diversity in STEM fields, women remain underrepresented, particularly in engineering and computer science. The gender gap begins to widen during middle school years, making this a critical intervention point.

MAKER Simple provides educators with a structured approach to introducing maker activities that are specifically designed to appeal to middle school girls while exposing them to various STEM career pathways. The framework emphasizes low-cost, accessible materials and activities that can be implemented in diverse educational settings, from formal classrooms to after-school programs.