Representation matters in all forms — even when that form is less than two inches tall. Women’s history in STEM professions has long gone underappreciated, but with a newly unveiled Lego minifigure set and more, that is starting to change. The new set sheds light on women’s contributions to the U.S. space program. Read more, and keep an eye out for celebrations of women who have led the way in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
cnet.com – Lego fans want to see brick versions of women in the sciences, and the toy company has heard them.
In 2016, 10,000 supporters on the Lego Ideas fan-created projects site backed a Women of NASA set. Lego announced on Tuesday it will produce the set, which was proposed by Lego fan and science writer and editor Maia Weinstock.
The approval of the set comes on the heels of popular 2016 movie “Hidden Figures,” which explores the contributions of black women to the space agency and the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit in the early 1960s. Katherine Johnson, one of the scientists featured in the film, appears in the Lego minifig set.
The project also includes computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, astronaut Sally Ride, astronomer Nancy Grace Roman and astronaut Mae Jemison.
Weinstock’s vision for the set includes minifig representations of each woman and a group of vignettes that feature mini versions of the space shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Lego previously delved into the world of NASA with the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover set, which is now retired.
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