We present Lighting the Reef, an interactive installation that uses modular 3D paper circuits to explore ecological fragility. Participants build coral structures from foldable paper blocks with copper tape and low-voltage components. When connections align, coral modules glow, metaphorically expressing the energy exchange between coral and zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae crucial to coral metabolism. Pollution modules add resistance that dims light or interrupts the current entirely, mirroring environmental disruption. We position Lighting the Reef as a Research through Design case that articulates fragility as an interaction aesthetic and ecological metaphor. We reflect on how modular circuitry, material constraints, and embodied play make precarity tangible. We also report workshops with 15 participants that discussed themes of care, collapse, and interdependence. We contribute insights into designing for fragility with modular circuits, ecological storytelling through tangible interaction, and accessible and reproducible designs for participatory sustainability education.

EdBoard is an educational breadboard designed to facilitate early learning of physical computing in children. We designed EdBoard's curriculum based on constructionist pedagogy, and our goal is to create an engaging and interactive learning environment for children. The EdBoard curriculum comprises three components: story booklets, circuit cards, and paper builders. These elements together foster an engaging and interactive learning experience for children. These booklets provide children with a narrative context that encourages pretend play. Circuit cards can be inserted into the EdBoard, helping children understand the positions of different components within the circuit. Paper builders empower children to create functional and interactive artifacts without the EdBoard. These hands-on activities reinforce children's understanding of physical computing concepts. During the demo, we will guide the audience through the EdBoard's curriculum design, providing insights into how these elements come together to facilitate learning. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience EdBoard as an educational tool. Furthermore, we invite open discussions on the potential of the EdBoard platform to enhance K-12 computer science education. We believe that EdBoard could play an important role in making computer science education more accessible and engaging for children.

Modular robots have proven valuable for STEM education. However, modular robot kits are often expensive, which makes them limited in accessibility. My research focuses on using paper and approachable techniques to create modular robots. The kit’s design encompasses three core technologies: paper circuits, sensation feedback mechanisms, and 3D geometry. I have developed proof-of-concept demonstrations of technologies for each aspect. I will integrate these technologies to design and build a paper modular robot kit. This kit includes various types of modules for input, output, and other functions. My dissertation will discuss the development of these technologies and how they are integrated. This research will address the considerations and techniques for paper as an interactive material, providing a guideline for future research and development of paper-based interaction.

The electronics-centered approach to physical computing presents challenges when designers build tangible interactive systems due to its inherent emphasis on circuitry and electronic components. To explore an alternative physical computing approach we have developed a computer vision (CV) based system that uses a webcam, computer, and printed fiducial markers to create functional tangible interfaces. Through a series of design studios, we probed how designers build tangible interfaces with this CV-driven approach. In this paper, we apply the annotated portfolio method to reflect on the fifteen outcomes from these studios. We observed that CV markers offer versatile materiality for tangible interactions, afford the use of democratic materials for interface construction, and engage designers in embodied debugging with their own vision as a proxy for CV. By sharing our insights, we inform other designers and educators who seek alternative ways to facilitate physical computing and tangible interaction design.

Fostering data visualization literacy (DVL) as part of childhood education could lead to a more data literate society. However, most work in DVL for children relies on a more formal educational context (i.e., a teacher-led approach) that limits children's engagement with data to classroom-based environments and, consequently, children's ability to ask questions about and explore data on topics they find personally meaningful. We explore how a curiosity-driven, child-led approach can provide more agency to children when they are authoring data visualizations. This paper explores how informal learning with crafting physicalizations through play and curiosity may foster increased literacy and engagement with data. Employing a constructionist approach, we designed a do-it-yourself toolkit made out of everyday materials (e.g., paper, cardboard, mirrors) that enables children to create, customize, and personalize three different interactive visualizations (bar, line, pie). We used the toolkit as a design probe in a series of in-person workshops with 5 children (6 to 11-year-olds) and interviews with 5 educators. Our observations reveal that the toolkit helped children creatively engage and interact with visualizations. Children with prior knowledge of data visualization reported the toolkit serving as more of an authoring tool that they envision using in their daily lives, while children with little to no experience found the toolkit as an engaging introduction to data visualization. Our study demonstrates the potential of using the constructionist approach to cultivate children's DVL through curiosity and play.

Fostering data literacy has largely been the domain of formal educational systems and export-oriented tools. Informal educational approaches, such as games or family activities, may overcome barriers to engaging with data by fostering data literacy through casual engagement. This work in progress explores how informal learning through creation and play with interactive data representations (physicalizations) can foster increased literacy and engagement with data. We outline a series of DIY paper charts using AR markers and everyday materials to help children interact and explore data through the creative process of making.