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About

Amber Simpson investigates the intersection of mathematics education, engineering design, and informal STEM learning, with a particular focus on how young children and elementary students develop mathematical thinking through hands-on, collaborative activities. Her work reveals the spontaneous mathematical moments that occur between caregivers and children during engineering projects, as well as how students build shared understandings of concepts like angle measurement while programming educational robots. Simpson’s research on mathematical play within makerspaces, viewed through the lens of embodied cognition, demonstrates how different modalities—such as robotics apps, physical paths, and tape—enable students to express mathematical ideas in non-traditional ways. Her studies on norms and collaboration in hybrid making-spaces highlight the importance of productive peer interaction for conceptual development. Though her most cited paper, “Spontaneous Mathematical Moments Between Caregiver and Child During an Engineering Design Project,” has garnered 10 citations, her emerging body of work is shaping how educators integrate robotics and making activities into mathematics instruction. By making mathematics visible in non-formal learning environments, Simpson is helping to redefine how we support early mathematical reasoning and engagement.