Kimberley Gomez

University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Health

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Kimberley Gomez is an education researcher whose work centers on youth engagement, technical learning, and informal education environments. Her scholarship explores how afterschool programs can serve as powerful spaces for young people to develop meaningful technical skills, particularly through robotics and digital making. Gomez has made notable contributions to understanding how program design influences motivation and participation, examining contrasting pedagogical approaches within initiatives such as the Digital Youth Network (DYN) and Robot Diaries (RD). Through these investigations, she sheds light on the conditions that best support youth — particularly those from underrepresented communities — in accessing and thriving within technical disciplines. Her 2012 chapter on building technical knowledge through robotics and her 2015 follow-up on community-based robotics experiences together reflect a sustained commitment to connecting hands-on design activities with deeper questions of equity and engagement in STEM learning. While her citation counts remain modest, her work contributes to an important and growing conversation about how out-of-school learning environments can democratize access to technical education and inspire the next generation of designers, engineers, and innovators.