Kaneland High School senior working to create STEM MakerSpace at Girl Scout camp

Kaneland High School junior Kaitlin Liu has firsthand experience of what it’s like to be the girl amongst boys in science, technology, engineering and math.

She also knows how challenging it is to thrive in these fields because of a lack of MakerSpaces, which are collaborative workspaces featuring equipment that most do not have at home.

Recognizing the need for a MakerSpace for the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois to provide better STEM opportunities for her peers, the Sugar Grove resident is creating Tech Camp GSNI by building a high-tech MakerSpace at Camp Dean in Big Rock that will feature robotics, 3D printers, embroiders, laser cutters, laptops, coding, Snap Circuits, rocketry and more.

“I came up with this idea after I visited the Aurora Santori Public Library, but it was like two years after, so it wasn’t like I came here and said ‘Oh, I should make my own MakerSpace,’ but it was like all the factors leading up to deciding to make a MakerSpace,” she said. “Me being on the GSNI board really helped me come up with the idea because it’s such a big idea.”

Liu first sought a MakerSpace when she was attempting to build a robot that could enter water but didn’t have the parts she needed in her LEGO robotics kit.

Not only was she able to make propellers on the 3D printer at the Aurora Santori Public Library MakerSpace, but the robot that they were attached to helped her team win the USA National Championship in the World Robot Olympiad. Ultimately, her robot led her to the international finals in Europe.

“I’ve seen what I’ve been able to do with robotics by building my own stuff so this project is definitely very personal to me,” she said. “I just want to help inspire other girls because I know at least back in 2019 it was pretty hard for me to be in STEM because that robotics team I was on with one of my other friends, who was a girl, but a few years before that I was on a robotics team with all the Boy Scouts and I know that was pretty hard for me.”

As much as she’s inspired by STEM, Liu is thrilled to know others will be able to pursue a similar passion thanks to her lead and dedication to making this a reality.

“Everyone has always told me that I’m very empathetic and I just always see myself in a part of everybody,” she said. “I like relating to their problems and feel them myself, so I know if I face something that I can help someone else face something. If someone feels intimidated by STEM, I can help them.”

She knows she’s creating opportunities so girls like her don’t have to pursue similar interests alone.

“Without support from other girls, we have no one to lean on,” she said. “Without role models in STEM who we know personally, we have no one to look up to. Without extra encouragement to thrive in engineering and technology fields, girls are missing out on rewarding careers later in life where their voices can be heard.”

Liu suggested her idea for a MakerSpace to the GSNI Board of Directors and its CEO Fiona Cummings without realizing her idea would become her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. It is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.

“When I first proposed the idea, I wasn’t intending for it to be a Gold Award Project, but when I started doing work on it and realized I was doing a lot of work on it, I thought that maybe I could propose this as a Gold Award,” she said. “I made up my proposal and went to the Gold Award committee and they approved it and it’s kind of gotten bigger and bigger, and then with my connections with the board, they helped me apply for grants which was a very big learning experience for me.”

It resulted in big rewards. GSNI received $20,000 grants from both the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley and the Kane County Riverboard Fund Project. In addition, the SciTech Hands On Museum donated $10,000 worth of equipment and furniture for the MakerSpace.

“During my tenure [with GSNI] I’ve never had a girl do a [Gold] Award with this kind of fundraising, which has been extraordinary,” said Vicki Jacobson, GSNI’s philanthropy director. “She did all the work on the grant pieces. Obviously, there were some areas that I had to fill in with information she didn’t have, but she wrote the narrative, explaining why it was important, what it would look like and all the logistics.”

And she continued to impress those such as Jacobson who have assisted her efforts.

“I’ve really been impressed with the details she described in her vision,” Jacobson said said. “It’s very unusual for a girl of her age to think of all of those things and then put them all together.”

It was Mark Twain who said, “Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Liu has uncovered something in STEM that she enjoys while being a pioneer for her peers.

“I think my interest in STEM has definitely evolved because of this project,” she said. “I remember it used to just be a hobby for my robotics and stuff, but now I realize it’s something I can stay interested in. English isn’t something I’m interested in and it doesn’t make me happy like this makes me. I’m passionate about this and I could definitely see myself doing STEM in the future or things related to STEM because of this and the connections and interactions and experiences I’ve had.”

Building improvements are being made at Camp Dean and Liu is hopeful the MakerSpace will be operational by spring.

“I think the goal is to complete it by late March or early April,” she said. “And then it might take a little time to find the facilitators or the people who will be running the space. I want to have it done for the summer camps and stuff because that’s when they get the most traction.”