Sofia Dieguez: Software Developer
Sabrina Chan: Content Creator
Check out our project on Devpost!
”You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them” - Wangari Maathai
This project is very near to our heart as two women of color in STEM. We understand the hurdles faced by our sisters before us and we want to celebrate and uplift the voices of these amazing and strong women who might not be so well known. Throughout the creation of our project, we learned about so many women and inventions we take for granted. Furthermore, climate change is an important problem that will impact every and all humans. We wanted to sensitize people in a fun interactive way that is packed with information while still being accessible. This quote by Wangari Maathai recaps our purpose: ” You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them”
Our project is an interactive game. When a common household object is selected, some history behind how the object is harmful to the environment as well as a narration by a female scientist or pioneer is presented.
We created a React.Js web application and we created the UI ourselves. In fact, other than our home and thank you pages, we created a main page for our "Story" with an image of a kitchen which we photoshopped items into. At the click of every item, you would be rerouted to a new page with an important female figure telling you the story. The web application was made using functional components and react hooks. We paid much attention to the aesthetic of the game and included a text animation to resemble a gaming environment.
Animating some features was difficult and tedious at first, but we are thankful for the mentors who helped us along the way
We are proud that our project is at its core a message of the strength and resilience of women. We are also very proud to have been able to built a project that is both aesthetically pleasing and informative.
Through this project, we learned so much about the talented and smart women before us who are not necessarily well known. We also deepened our knowledge on sustainable and unsustainable lifestyles.
In the future, we would love to include more household rooms with other polluting products and more women in STEM explaining their impact on our environment. We would also love to add some music to the app or get female* narrators to voice-over the text to be more inclusive to the visually impaired.