The popular 1980s TV show “MacGyver” featured a spy who was also an engineer. Facing mortal danger, he’d save the day by creatively repurposing everyday objects, making a sling shot from a bicycle inner tube, or a signal parachute from a ski pole and a handkerchief.

Recently on the blog, we shared the news that a MacGyver for the new millennium is in the works—a TV show loosely based on the original, but featuring a woman engineer.  

But you don’t have to wait for the show! In the world of engineering education, there are quite a few MacGyvers. Today, meet Belinda Kinney, an instructional specialist with the Plano Independent School District (PISD) in Texas.

What are you watching? TV producers keep churning out the usual shows about cops, lawyers, doctors, and politicians. But sometimes a girl wants to settle in with a bowl of popcorn and some characters she can REALLY identify with. I'm talking scientists and engineers.

Sure, I could watch Discovery Channel-type documentaries. But I’m yearning for a smart, Sorkin-style drama, with fast-talking charismatic protagonists not all of whom are white males solving ripped-from-the-headlines problems thanks to their STEM knowledge and skills.

I may get my wish, because a contest to identify the next MacGyver is underway. And this time, Mac will be a woman.

Calling all Massachusetts afterschool educators!  You can bring fun, hands-on engineering activities to your elementary program this fall. Apply today for an Engineering Adventures scholarship.

The 2015 scholarships are made possible by a $37,000 award from the innovative philanthropy SheGives Boston to our parent organization, the Museum of Science, Boston. Each scholarship award includes everything you need to implement EiE’s Engineering Adventures (EA) curriculum: educator guide, materials kit, and an invitation to a three-hour professional development workshop here at the Museum of Science.

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama charged Congress with making high-quality pre-school available for every child in the country. High-quality preschools have well-trained teachers, small class sizes, and a rigorous curriculum . . . and with regard to curriculum, the National Science Teachers Association strongly advocates for preschool instruction in science and engineering.

That raises a challenge: engineering curricula designed for very young children are so rare as to be almost non-existent. With this need in mind, the EiE project starts work this fall on a new engineering curriculum for ages 3 to 5.

Engineering is Elementary’s engineering design process (ASK-IMAGINE-PLAN-CREATE-IMPROVE) guides young children through hands-on problem solving.  Now we’re using the same process to help solve a critical problem in America today: the need for engineering instruction in K – 12 classrooms

A Museum of Science, Boston team that includes three EiE staff members is one of 12 groups selected for the first annual 100Kin10 Fellowship Program. The initiative aims to create a community of problem-solvers who will find new ways to bring engineering education to more elementary, middle, and high schools across the country.