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Get to Know Our New STEAM Co-Coordinators – Julie Whittell & Kim Bathker, Part 2

3/3/2017

Recently, we caught up with Julie Whittell and Kim Bathker, our STEAM Co-Coordinators, to pick their brains about the importance of design thinking and their respective love for math, science and technology. We learned more about their personalities, quirks and individual journeys to their current positions (You can catch up on our last conversation by clicking here!) In Part 2 of our interview, we continue our conversation with our STEAM leaders, digging deeper into Marymount’s STEAM program itself, in partnership with our Makerspace.

Read more about it in the second installment of our chat with these amazingly talented women below:

Q: Beyond co-coordinating our STEAM program, you both teach several subjects (as we learned from our last interview). How will you incorporate STEAM and the Makerspace into your classrooms?

Ms. Kim Bathker (KB): I'm looking forward to incorporating more of the Makerspace tools into my AP Psychology course. After the AP exam, my classes create puzzle rooms to challenge their classmates. The idea is that participants must use critical thinking and cooperation in order to solve a series of puzzles in a closed room. I'm excited about the opportunities my students will have to make their own puzzles in the makerspace.

Mrs. Julie Whittell (JW): The Geometry classes have used the Makerspace to explore laser-cut snowflakes and to construct scaled castles. This spring, they will be creating a 3D-printed object as part of their lesson on solid matter, and I am in the process of putting together a Calder Mobile project that will involve many tools in the Makerspace. My goal is to enable to students to use the Makerspace in a variety of ways to solve a project. There may be more than one way to create something, and I want the students to feel comfortable going to the space on their own and exploring what is available.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice for girls entering Marymount who might be nervous about STEAM courses, what would it be?

KB: When I was a student at Marymount, I always found my science classes to be the most challenging. It was tempting to back down and give up, to doubt my capacity for learning and growth in the science fields. My advice: lean in and rise to the occasion. Remember that it is in your power to excel at whatever you pursue. There is, in most situations, no measurable difference between the smartest girl in the room and the best prepared. When I decided that my science classes wouldn't beat me, it meant that I had to meet with my teachers and put in a lot of hours to really understand the material, and it was somewhere in the midst of all that extra work that I discovered how much fun science was.

JW: Find the way you learn best. If you need to ask someone for help, then make sure you do that. Remember that engineers never build or accomplish things alone. Learning is a process that involves many different hands and voices, and asking for help is the best way to learn how to do something. Yes, designing and building will take hard work and focus, but everything worth doing does. STEAM courses will be challenging; that is what makes them so exciting.

Q: Through STEAM, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with so many of the teachers and students at Marymount. What is Marymount’s vision for this program?

KB: Marymount has such strong programs in place to facilitate this type of learning. From our STEAM courses and Internship Program to our growing Makerspace, it's already a wonderful place for young women to grow into the scientists, engineers, doctors, mathematicians, artists, and innovators that we know they can become. While there is always room for growth, one of our priorities is to ensure that every student graduates not only with a particular skill set, but also with the confidence to know that she can acquire new skills and learn new things in STEAM fields. What's truly essential to a solid STEAM education isn't a body of knowledge, but a growth mindset, and we want to instill that in our students.

Q: What cool projects do you all have in store for us as STEAM Co-Coordinators?

KB: We're very excited about Marymount's STEAMissions, which give students and teachers the chance to learn and practice new skills in ways that enrich our campus. The first mission, Fish Tank Makeover, launched last September and challenged participants to use 3D design to enhance the science department's aquarium.

We're not at liberty to divulge the nature of future missions, but we can tell you that they will touch on video game design, laser cutting, and wearables!

We again want to thank Mrs. Whittell and Ms. Bathker for taking the time out to speak to our team. The work that they do, and continue to do, in every capacity of their dynamic fields will enrich our girls minds, creativity and drive to enter the field of STEAM once they carve their own future outside of Marymount. We’re so excited to see what our fearless dynamic duo have in store for the Marymount STEAM Program.

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