EnergIze is an embodied science center game that allows elementary-school-aged children to explore and express ideas about energy in its many forms. Two players work together, using their bodies to control a robot as it navigates a control station on a remote planet. Energy is a challenging topic for young children; the EnergIze game aims to elicit conversations about energy, how it is conserved, and the different ways it can be transformed. The EnergIze exhibit was initially tested at the The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and it is currently running on the exhibit floor of The Lawrence Hall of Science.
Team Members
Robb Lindgren
robblind@illinois.edu
EnergIze Co-Investigator
James Planey
planey@illinois.edu
EnergIze Graduate Researcher
Former Team Members
Mike Junokas
Manager, Computational Science, Ag Systems
Greg Kohlburn
Advanced Software Engineer, Relativity
Publications
Lindgren, R., Planey, J., & Quigley, K. (2020). Energize the exhibit floor!: Embodiment and play in an interactive museum experience about energy. Symposium paper in Reframing Playful Participation in Museums: Identity, Collaboration, Inclusion, and Joy [pdf] in the Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2020) (pp. 1504-1505), Nashville, TN [Virtual Conference]. https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/6356