Using empathy to drive STEM learning & partnerships

Quality STEM community engagement begins with a purposeful objective. A common goal or shared vision that all participants value, helping to strengthen connections and chart a clear direction for a community project.

For students and teachers at Mt Richmond Special School, empathy was key to finding their purposeful objective. They wanted to help a classmate, who had the use of only one hand, participate in cooking lessons.

Students worked alongside STEM experts and a disability support group to understand the challenges experienced by those with vision and mobility impairments. And then they set out to find a solution. With the assistance of design specialists from AUT and creative technologies company Marvel3D, the students have designed an innovative kitchen tool to make everyday cooking tasks easier for their friend.

"It's STEM learning at its finest, using empathy to propel students through a huge design challenge" - check out the video below and read the whole story on the Education Gazette.