Marten WesterhofResearcher

Within his PhD project at Technological University Dublin, Marten Westerhof was connected to Waag as a researcher. He focused on increasing spatial ability of children by the use of maker education, as part of the European SellSTEM project. In the so-called STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths), spatial ability is an important factor. So, could we make sure more children, and girls in particular, will get and remain interested in science subjects?

Marten studied Industrial design at TU Delft. For his graduation project, he developed a toolkit that enables children in rural areas of Kenya to acquire design skills in a playful way, with the use of local materials. During his PhD, in which Waag was partly coaching him, Marten focused on creating activities for young children, with special attention for their cognitive skills. This will lead more children to be able to freely and creatively develop themselves.