Introducing Young Readers to Engineering through Literature

Engineering and book publishing might seem like they have little overlap, but as this clinic project shows, there’s more than meets the eye. In order to spark preschool and elementary students’ interest in engineering, students wrote and illustrated a children’s book, “Owen The Owl and the Trash Attack,” about the subject of water treatment.

"Writing — and drawing — a kids’ book was an exciting opportunity. My interest in drawing led to my being connected with the illustrators working with the Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation... What initially started as a way to take a creative break turned into an opportunity to help reach and teach a community
of young minds." — Adriana Zawojski, civil and environmental engineering major

The project was in collaboration with the Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation, a charitable organization specializing in book readings, career days, STEM events—and even commissioning the writing of books—in order to introduce STEM concepts to young students.

Faculty project manager Danielle Farrell, P.E., an instructor in the Department of Experiential Engineering Education (ExEEd), led the team of students, including Adam Amaefuna, Zeynep Bartek, Megan Downey, Katlynn Hewitt-Ezekiel, Stephen Kehoe, Mary Kunz and Adriana Zawojski through the entire process.

Given Farrell’s experience in the water industry, the theme of the book would focus on water treatment. To help inform their work—and discover the interdisciplinary nature of water treatment—students visited a water treatment facility in Maple Shade to observe how water was pulled from the ground and treated.

Students then conceptualized a main character—Owen the Owl—and developed a plot. Using their newfound water treatment knowledge, the authors were able to present educational information on water treatment while entertaining young readers.

The team had a special focus group of “Little Owls”—students enrolled in Rowan’s on-campus Early Childhood Demonstration Center Preschool—as well as the center’s director to help workshop ideas. Based on test readings, the authors learned what concepts resonated with children, what language to use and aspects of the story that might be confusing to young readers.

The Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation provided the team with a professional editor who also offered feedback.

One student, Adriana Zawojski, took on the responsibility of illustrating the entire book. She’s since been hired as an in-house illustrator at the Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation. Mary Kunz was hired by Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation to work as a liaison between the organization and universities.

In addition to penning a book, students developed elementary school-friendly experiments to accompany it. Experiments included watching how dyed water moved throughout a rose and how a carbon filter could remove the coloring from dyed water.

The students also presented a poster about their work at a water industry conference, focusing on their efforts to present STEM concepts to young students through language and hands-on activities.

“Owen the Owl and the Trash Attack” is slated to hit bookstores nationwide in 2025.