Teenage girls at Pasadena's Jefferson Branch Library are building AI tools that recognize dance moves and measuring the electrical signals firing through their own muscles, guided by a Caltech neurobiologist who studies how beetle brains make split-second decisions.

The free program, called STEM from Dance Club, began its first session July 9 at the library's youth services hub at 1500 E. Villa St. It is scheduled for four Thursday sessions from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and is open to girls ages 13 to 17. Attendance at all sessions is required.

Dr. Jess Kanwal, a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratory of Caltech biology professor Joe Parker, leads the sessions. Kanwal earned her doctorate in neurobiology at Harvard, where she studied how fruit fly brains combine smell and taste to perceive flavor. Her current research examines how rove beetles, tiny insects about 2.5 millimeters long, integrate sensory cues to distinguish friend from foe.

The workshop activities bridge that research world and the dance floor. Participants build simple artificial intelligence tools to recognize dance movements, measure muscle activity through electrical signals, and explore how the brain coordinates the body during dance. No prior experience with dance, neuroscience, or AI is required.

Kanwal, who grew up dancing in northern Virginia, has long worked to connect performing arts with science education. In a 2023 interview for her L'Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship, she said her goal was "to use dance as a way to get middle and high school students interested in and excited to learn about the brain and how it senses the world and coordinates creative movement," targeting underserved communities in Pasadena and greater Los Angeles.

The L'Oréal fellowship awards $60,000 annually to each of five postdoctoral women in science.

The Jefferson Branch serves as the Pasadena library system's hub for youth services, housing a teen library and a broad STEAM collection. According to the library's event listing, the program aims to build confidence and critical thinking for girls in science and technology.

Because the program requires attendance at all sessions and the first meeting has passed, interested families should contact the library at (626) 744-8046 to ask about availability or future offerings.