Ribbons and Wheels and Engineers?That?s What Girls Are Made of

Debbie Sterling is not unlike many of these gaming pioneers who looked to create fun forms of learning. Armed with a degree in product design (a specialized degree within mechanical engineering) from Stanford University, Sterling is working to tackle the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through educational games. She is the founder of GoldieBlox, Inc., a toy company that recently released its first book and toy product, “GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine,” which introduces young girls to engineering principles and lessons focusing on wheels and axels, pulleys, and force and friction. The toy´s construction pieces will be intercompatible from set to set, and the book, which features GoldieBlox, a girl with a love of engineering who helps children build simple machines on the construction toyset, will also be available as an e-book download for the iPad and iPhone.