Student Research Team

The Student Research Team behind the INSPIRE Engineering Gift Guide is guided by faculty in the Purdue School of Engineering Education. The team uses a research framework to review the items submitted each year for inclusion in the guide.

Erica Corbeels, Administrative Project Lead

I am a junior studying Engineering Technology Teacher Education through the Polytechnic Institute at Purdue. This is my first year as the Administrative Project Lead for the Engineering Gift Guide, but I have been working with and learning about engineering education for more than three years. Growing up surrounded by engineers, I learned to love engineering and developed a passion for teaching it. I enjoy cooking, making crafts, and playing video games in my free time. After I graduate, I plan on teaching engineering classes in a public high school.

Daisy Coble, Project Coordinator

As a student in Industrial Design at Purdue, I plan to focus my studies and career on toy design. I was always the kid who had more fun taking apart their toys than actually playing with them, so I have had a deep connection with learning what makes a toy interesting and functional. As Project Coordinator for the Engineering Gift Guide, I spent my time gathering toys to be reviewed. I hope to use the knowledge I have gained from being part of the Gift Guide to make STEM toys myself one day.

Avery "AR" Miller, Review Team Lead

I am a senior studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Purdue. This is my second year as Review Team Lead for the Engineering Gift Guide, and my third year with the guide overall. Growing up, I created a lot of my own engineering toys as not many were available. Through the Engineering Gift Guide, I feel I have the ability to make engineering toys more accessible to everyone. During my free time, I enjoy technical projects such as building mechanical keyboards and working on my bike, reading, and spending time with my pet snake and cat. After I graduate, I plan on working as a design engineer and getting my private pilot’s license. 

Jaden Hernandez, Gift Guide Reviewer

I am a sophomore at Purdue in the First-Year Engineering Program, and I eventually plan to major in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. This is my first year contributing to the Engineering Gift Guide as a Reviewer. In high school, I had the opportunity to compete at local robotics tournaments in which I interacted with a diverse community of competitors of varying ages. While robotics is inaccessible, toys are quite the opposite, and I hope that the Engineering Gift Guide can help give children the opportunities they deserve to grow into brilliant engineers. While not busy, I like to design and additively manufacture models of differing purpose, whether aesthetic or practical. When I graduate, I hope to use my knowledge to make innovations in spacecraft propulsion.