Ella Gardiner, a student from Stellenbosch University used her skills to make a clever creation that marries myth and magic (engineering). Her solar-powered unicorn toy was designed to inspire more young girls to get into STEM as most of these types of toys are boyhood-centric:
Stellenbosch, South Africa (04 December 2023) — As the push for more young girls to consider futures in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) continues, glaring issues become key points in the conversation. One of them spotlights that inspiration sparkers (like types of toys which encourage many youngsters to dream about getting into the field) are still tailored to boys. But, one engineering student is hoping to change this thanks to her clever creation!
Ella Gardiner, an engineering student at Stellenbosch University worked hard to make something that marries myth and magic (engineering). Her goal was to make a toy that many little girls would be drawn to, given that most tech toys are created with traditional boyhood in mind.
As such, her clever creation—a solar-powered unicorn that can move and even flap its wings— is here as a piece in solving the bigger problem of male hegemony in tech that starts from the toys young kids are offered.
Ella’s work relied on a lot of research to do with the toy market and what’s on offer for children in Africa. Compared to other countries, she found that toys created from engineering concepts with girls in mind were lacking. So her STEAM project (which adds ‘art’ to STEM), began brewing.
Of course, not every little girl is automatically drawn to unicorns, nor is every young boy obsessed with dinosaur robotics. But the more options there are, the more young minds can be encouraged.
Ella’s creation is accompanied by a storybook and is meant to be assembled by a child so they can be part of the magic and ideally, wonder what else they’re capable of building.
Of the storybook, Ella shared:
“I needed to find a way to make [the project] accessible to the average South African schoolgirl. This is where the accompanying storybook comes in. Not only do girls prefer to play with toys that include a story element, but the story also includes a main character who serves as a role model to young girls, encouraging their curiosity and confidence in STEM.”
Ella is part of the December graduate cohort, and we can’t wait to see what more she does with her magic!
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