Lisa Nelson had a conversation with her son one day. She asked him, “If you could build a local landmark, what would you build?” Her son said, “I don’t really know of any.” This came as a revelation to Nelson — who teaches local history? — so her and her son began to brainstorm. The idea they came up with was Iconic Joplin: a combination of Legos, engineering, STEM practice and a fun way for 12 to 16-year-old middle schoolers to learn about historic Joplin architecture. By reaching back into Joplin’s past, the project aims to encourage kids headed to high school to pursue a career in math, science, or engineering. And what better — or more fun — way to connect the past with the future than with Legos? KOAM’s Janna Hautala sat down with Lisa Nelson to build more on this story.

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