In late 1999, Mitzi Vernon, as Principal Investigator, was awarded a grant, titled interCONNECTIONS, from the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering division at the National Science Foundation. The $105,000 grant sponsored the development of the first three prototype books of the interCONNECTIONS series of books and accompanying book bags.

Below and on extended links is a sample of the archive of video clips from the evaluation and testing sessions of the grant work. Gravity Tank, a user research organization in Chicago, is largely responsible for setting the research model for this part of our work. Click on DRA Report to download the final research report. We worked with 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls, teachers, and librarians at the following schools:

The Girls' Middle School (California); Blacksburg Middle School (Virginia); Gilbert Linkous Elementary School (Virginia); Arthur A. Libby School (Chicago)

Top-line Summary: The research found that there was a need and desire for an unconventional way to learn about science. The notion of combining a fictional story with science and math concepts was well received. The key findings in the research: the interests of girls are consistently socially-oriented; girls tend to want things to be tangible, collectible and communal; girls are specifically inclined to look for and create character and storyline in most activities; technology is more embraced when its purpose is transparent and related to their interests.