Director of the Brown Design Workshop Louise Manfredi, right, helps a student with their design process during the Pre-College course she instructs. Photo by Rob Ranney.
Under the umbrella of the pre-college summer programs, the STEM for Rising 9th and 10th Graders program encourages students to advance their knowledge of STEM disciplines alongside other students who are also passionate about advancing their knowledge. These courses consist of two weeks of hands-on team research projects, experiments and design-build challenges.
On a recent warm July day, students in “Product Design for a Healthier Planet: Intro to Circular Economy Thinking” gathered inside the Brown Design Workshop.
Surrounded by piles of disassembled headphones, keyboards and other consumer goods, working amid the din of power saws and laser cutters, the students brainstormed how to improve the products’ design, guided by the workshop’s director, Associate Professor of the Practice of Engineering Louise Manfredi.
Over two weeks, students in Manfredi’s course are working in pairs to dismantle popular products, examine their manufacturing processes and redesign them, all part of a dynamic introduction to fundamental engineering and circular economic design principles.
“I think it’s really important to show that there are many different flavors of engineering,” Manfredi said. “Engineering isn’t just for a few people — really, it’s for everybody.”
For Vancouver, Canada, native Serina Fan, who will enter high school in the fall, the course has bolstered her interest in product design while introducing her to new tools, like 3D printing.
“We are really learning through experimentation,” Fan said as she sat among a pile of speaker components. “We really want to find out how we can make better products.”
Experiential learning is a crucial aspect of the course. When students encounter a hiccup and work through it, it’s emblematic of the determination and creativity that successful engineering requires, according to Manfredi.
“Often, students become their own biggest teachers,” Manfredi said.
For more than a decade, Brown’s Pre-College Programs have also welcomed students from Sophia Academy, a tuition-free independent middle school serving girls from low-income families in Providence. Assistant Head of School Melissa Moniz said Brown’s summer programs, including the course Manfredi instructs, build upon Sophia Academy’s curriculum and allow their rising ninth graders to explore potential career interests further.
"At Sophia, we offer a variety of programs that give our students a taste of different fields, whether it's biology, engineering or art,” Moniz said. “Brown’s Pre-College Programs allow them to dive deeper into a subject they might be passionate about. Plus, they gain access to fantastic facilities, interact with amazing mentors and connect with other young minds who share their interests. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved: the students, their families and Brown itself, as Brown gets to work with motivated young people who may become future leaders in these fields."
*Gabriel Sender, Maggie Spear and Lynda Curtis contributed to this article