Flushing Town Hall teaching artist Karen R. Wellington, a former high school mathematics teacher who worked for the New York City Department of Education for 26 years, uses origami as a hands-on activity to promote a deeper understanding of mathematics. In the summer of 2016, Karen founded Queens STEM Career Women, Inc. (QSCW) a non-profit organization, which works to encourage young girls in Queens to pursue careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This organization has produced two conferences and several workshops at schools throughout Queens. Karen has also given a variety of origami workshops at Queens Public Library, which focus on the development and understanding of geometric concepts. In these programs, instead of the traditional origami terms, mathematical vocabulary is used as Karen guides children in the folding process.
