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On a Tuesday afternoon at a Denver public school, a group of elementary students gather around tables piled with Lego bricks, laughing and chatting as they carefully follow instructions to assemble their creations. A few minutes later, they’re chasing a small robot car around the classroom, laughing as it bumps along the floor.

Scenes like this are familiar to��Casey Hunt, a PhD candidate at the ATLAS Institute. Each week, Hunt visits four Denver public schools as part of a collaboration with��, helping K–5 students explore engineering and coding through Lego robotics.

The after-school program uses the Lego WeDo 2.0 ecosystem—a kid-friendly robotics kit that empowers young learners to build moving creations and program them with simple code. “The goal isn’t just to teach them mechanics or coding, it’s to give them space to build, test and problem-solve together,” Hunt explained. “They take a lot of ownership over their creations, and that’s really fun to watch.”

Hunt facilitates each club session, helping students work through the weekly project, teaching basic engineering concepts and encouraging teamwork. All four schools tackle the same project each week, but students always find ways to make it their own—like the pair who built a sidecar for their minifigure passengers, then raced it gleefully across the library.

“It’s so fun to see them take pride in their creations,” Hunt said. “They find ways to make each build reflect their personalities or friendships, and I love watching them put their own spin on the designs.”

Beyond the joy of seeing students bring their ideas to life, the program aligns closely with Hunt’s academic pursuit. Her research focuses on how materials can teach people through making, drawing on constructionist learning theories. “I’m interested in how these ideas from education can be adapted to participatory design, building with communities,” Hunt said. “In Lego club, I get to watch how kids naturally negotiate, share ideas and make design decisions together—it’s a different context, but very similar to the collaboration I study.”

Hunt reflects on how these young learners engage with core STEM skills: reading and following design instructions, iterating when things don’t work and collaborating with peers to solve problems. “Their approach is actually a lot like my undergraduate students, just at an age-appropriate level,” she noted.

For ATLAS, programs like this reflect a broader commitment to community engagement and inclusive STEM education. The institute’s partnership with Inspire to Learn and Imagine extends its impact beyond the university—fostering creativity, curiosity and confidence in the next generation of makers.��

By connecting university researchers with local classrooms, outreach efforts like the Lego club not only support young learners but also give graduate students meaningful teaching and mentorship experiences outside the lab.

“This kind of work shows how our research and expertise can ripple outward,” Hunt said. “It’s a reminder that what we study in the lab connects to real people—and real joy—in the community.”

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