Meet the STEM Educators: Melanie Shibley
Pronouns:
she/her they/them
How long have you been working with The Works Museum?
One year
What is your background in engineering?
I went from being a child obsessed with art, legos, and building things to a teaching career where I taught STEM to students with special needs for ~ 10 years before ending up at The Works Museum!
What do you love most about working with kids?
Everything is so exciting to them. Their excitement for the world helps keep me present in the moment. It's contagious! It's fun watching the gears turning in their heads as they finally figure it out or work through something challenging.
Can you share a fun or memorable moment from past summer camps?
I remember having a camper in the Architecture: Houses camp who didn't want to engage with the project, until I encouraged him to think outside the box. He didn't end up building a house; he built a mini replica of his favorite skate park instead and it was amazing!
What’s one thing you hope campers take away from their time at camp?
First, remember that you CAN do hard things. Second, in the words of Ms. Frizzle: "if at first you don't succeed, find out WHY!"
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love to garden, master new mediums of art (stained glass is next!), hike, read, and take care of my aquariums.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I can identify over 100 species of wild edible plants (and have eaten ~50 of them!)
Why LEGO Robotics for Girls is Your Favorite Camp:
One of the things I love most about this camp is how it shows kids that robotics doesn’t have to look just one way. It’s flexible, and we make it fun and engaging in ways they might not expect.
Last summer was a perfect example. The campers didn’t just build and program their robots. They threw a robot prom. We taught the robots to “dance,” and we ended up with a full-on robot dance party. The kids made outfits for their robots, and each one had its own personality. It was fun and full of energy, but also packed with real coding and engineering skills.
I also like that we're creating a unique environment for girls to explore robotics together. It's a chance for us to encourage those that have been historically less involved in robotics, and I love seeing them build and learn with each other's support. Robotics is a tool anyone can use to solve problems, be creative, and explore new ideas!
By making robotics feel approachable, creative, and inclusive, we’re helping kids build confidence and community—one dancing robot at a time.
