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At Purdue University’s INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering, Cardella and Gajdzik work with pre-school, school-age, college undergrads, engineers and parents to test and rate science- and tech-themed products that companies submit for review each year. Highly recommended toys, games and books make it into the institute’s annual Engineering Gift Guide; this year’s edition includes 128 products, mostly released in 2018 and 2017.

You don’t need to spend hours researching, because the non-profit, no-hidden-agenda team at INSPIRE, an engineering research institute at Purdue University, has just released its annual gift guide for toys that hit all those marks. The guide was developed using National Science Foundation research, and it’s a testament to the fact that giving kids a leg up on coding and STEM skills more broadly doesn’t have to mean more screen time.

At Purdue University’s INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering, Monica Cardella and Elizabeth Gajdzik plucked 10 stand-out gifts from a suite of more than 130 toys either submitted by toymakers and publishers for evaluation or requested by the researchers. After rigorous testing by dozens of kids, parents, college students and engineers, the group compiles an annual Engineering Gift Guide.

As a leader in engineering education, Purdue aims to help gift givers with their Engineering Gift Guide, a comprehensive list of toys, games, books and apps to encourage engineering thinking and design for girls and boys ages 2 and up.

View INSPIRE's segment about the 3rd annual Engineering Gift Guide on Channel 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The 2016 Engineering Gift Guide from Purdue University is filled with fun toys, games and applications to engage girls and boys ages 3-18 in engineering thinking and design.

A Purdue associate professor of engineering education received more than $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation.

Tamara Moore, associate professor in the School of Engineering Education, will take part in a panel discussion during the Next Generation STEM Learning for All forum today (Nov.10).

Millions in grant money from the National Science Foundation underline a new breadth of educational research at Purdue University.