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Oddball Academy — Girls, STEM & Digital Design Blog Series

  • Aug 5
  • 5 min read

Why Did No One Show Girls That Science Was Beautiful?


We may not have a girls-in-STEM interest problem. We may have a STEM messaging problem.


Girls are capable of STEM. The deeper problem may be how we define, depict, and introduce it. Research on creativity, belonging, stereotypes, and hands-on learning suggests the message matters.



A recent post shared by Oddball Academy showed two photos: one of a curious three-year-old girl and another of an 11-year-old student who is a true girl genius. The response was surprising and made many think deeply.


What if the problem isn’t that girls don’t like STEM? What if STEM itself has a messaging problem?


For years, people have talked about how to “get girls interested in STEM.” That phrase assumes STEM is a fixed thing over here, and girls are over there. The goal seems to be to convince girls to cross over.


But watching children learn tells a different story. Little girls don’t start life uninterested in patterns, experiments, building, or figuring out how things work. Curiosity is everywhere.


The problem starts when we decide which kinds of curiosity count as STEM.



STEM Looks Smaller Than It Really Is


Ask someone to picture STEM education, and images like robots, rockets, coding on a black screen, gears, lab coats, or bridge-building challenges often come to mind.


These things are part of STEM, but they are not all of it.


STEM also includes color and light, chemistry and cosmetics, architecture and textiles. It’s the geometry behind a beautiful pattern, the physics of movement, the biology of a garden, the engineering inside everyday objects, the math of music, and the technology behind digital art, animation, and games.


STEM is also the design process that turns an idea into something useful for others.


When children see only a narrow slice of STEM, we don’t just describe it. We shape an identity around it.


Researchers have warned about this for years.


UNICEF’s report Towards an Equal Future: Reimagining Girls’ Education Through STEM describes a cycle: gender stereotypes shape what girls think is right for them, while images of boys and men dominate STEM play, study, and work. This cycle keeps repeating.


Researchers Allison Master, Sapna Cheryan, and Andrew Meltzoff studied how computer science is presented through cultural stereotypes. They found that these stereotypes reduce girls’ sense of belonging in computer science and lower their interest in joining. The environment is not neutral. The image of “a computer science person” quietly answers a child’s question: Is this for someone like me? before she even tries.


This is not about ability.


It is about belonging.



Eye-level view of a colorful STEM activity table with building blocks and art supplies
This scenario illustrates how children can engage in fun, educational activities that promote understanding of safety and science, breaking traditional gender stereotypes in play.

The “Girl Version” of STEM Isn’t the Answer


Sometimes, the response has been to take the same narrow STEM and make it pink.


Girls don’t need engineering to be prettier. They need us to stop removing beauty, creativity, humanity, and purpose from engineering when we introduce it.


That difference matters.


Microsoft’s research on girls and STEM found a direct link between creativity and girls’ interest in STEM. Their European study showed interest starts to drop around age 15. Lack of role models and hands-on experiences connected to real-world uses were key reasons.


The AAUW report Why So Few? showed that girls often rate their math ability lower than boys with the same skills. It also explained how cultural stereotypes and the learning environment affect performance, confidence, and whether girls imagine themselves in STEM careers.


By the time we ask, “Why aren’t more girls choosing this?” it might be too late.


Girls have been collecting clues about who belongs in STEM for years.



What If We Changed the Invitation?


Instead of starting with, “Girls can code too,” what if we asked:


  • What do you want to make?

  • What do you want to understand?

  • What bothers you enough that you want to fix it?

  • What is beautiful to you—and how was it made?

  • What happens if you take this apart?

  • Can you make it move? Light up? Respond? Communicate? Become easier for someone?


These questions invite curiosity and creativity. They open STEM to everyone, not just those who fit a narrow image.



Bringing STEM to Life with Hands-On Learning


Hands-on learning is key to showing STEM’s beauty and creativity. When children build, experiment, and create, they see STEM as a tool for making things that matter.


Oddball Academy offers programs that bring this approach to life. For example, their Digital Design Workshops let kids explore technology through art and animation. These workshops connect STEM with creativity and real-world skills.


Another great example is the STEM Exploration Kits designed for home or classroom use. These kits include activities that cover a wide range of STEM fields—from biology and chemistry to engineering and digital design. They encourage children to ask questions and solve problems in ways that feel natural and fun.


Both programs help children see STEM as a broad, colorful world full of possibilities.



Close-up view of a child assembling a simple robot with colorful parts
A young girl focuses intently as she engages in a creative project at a workshop table, surrounded by an array of colorful tools and materials.


Role Models and Real-World Connections Matter


Girls need role models who show them what STEM can look like. They need to see people who look like them doing work that feels meaningful.


Oddball Academy features stories and events with women in STEM fields. These role models share their journeys, challenges, and successes. This helps girls imagine themselves in similar roles.


Real-world connections also make STEM more appealing. When children see how STEM solves problems in their communities or creates things they care about, they feel more connected.



The Power of Redefining STEM for Girls


Redefining STEM means showing it as a place for creativity, beauty, and purpose. It means inviting girls to bring their whole selves to science and technology.


This approach helps girls build confidence and see STEM as a space where they belong.


Oddball Academy’s mission is to lead this change in Oklahoma City. By inspiring and equipping young thinkers and problem-solvers, they aim to expand STEM’s reach to more children and families.



Girls don’t have a STEM problem. STEM has a messaging problem. When we show STEM as a narrow, exclusive field, we lose the chance to inspire the next generation of innovators.


By broadening the picture, inviting curiosity, and connecting STEM to creativity and real life, we can help girls see science as beautiful and welcoming.


The question isn’t how to get girls interested in STEM. It’s how to show STEM as a place where girls already belong.



For families in Oklahoma City looking to explore STEM in new ways, Oddball Academy’s programs offer a fresh, creative approach. From digital design workshops to hands-on STEM kits, these resources help children discover the beauty and power of science and technology.


Explore more about these programs and how they can inspire your child at Oddball Academy.



This post is part one of the Oddball Academy Girls, STEM & Digital Design Blog Series.


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