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About

Megan Bang is a distinguished learning scientist whose research sits at the vital intersection of Indigenous education, STEM learning, and community-centered design. Her work challenges conventional approaches to science and technology education by centering Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural identity, and community sovereignty as foundational to meaningful learning experiences. Bang's most influential contribution is her TechTales project, a participatory design research initiative that brought together learning scientists, public librarians, informal science educators, and Native American–serving organizations to co-create family-based robotics workshops. This groundbreaking work, published in 2019 and accumulating 84 citations, demonstrates how STEM and artistic making practices can serve as sites of Indigenous presence and resurgence rather than assimilation. Her concept of "storywork" within STEM-Art contexts powerfully reframes robotics and materiality as vehicles for cultural continuity. Across her body of work, Bang consistently employs participatory design research as a methodology that positions Indigenous communities as genuine co-creators rather than passive recipients of educational programming. Her research on expansive family STEAM programming further highlights her commitment to culturally sustaining, community-driven learning environments. Bang's scholarship has made a significant impact on equity-focused STEM education and offers an essential framework for researchers seeking to honor diverse epistemologies in science learning contexts.