From keeping shoelaces tied to dealing with trash, life is full of problems. At The Foundry’s makerspace, students learn to solve them.
Industrial designer Gregg Lehman teaches students woodworking, metalworking and welding as well as CAD (Computer-Aided Design), which translates digital designs into tangible products using a 3-D printer or CNC equipment. Lehman describes his class as modern industrial arts, with a spin on entrepreneurship that includes looking for solutions to problems. “I teach them design-thinking. They do a lot of research and personal interviews, and they translate those insights into solutions. I’m trying to teach them skills, but modern skills. I’m trying to make them think differently.”
Recent projects include 3-D printed devices to hold tied shoelaces securely and bike-pump accessories. Students have also built a plastic shredder, extruder and injection molder to recycle and repurpose plastic trash they gathered from West Point Lake. And during a drone program, students develop and 3-D print a drone, code the circuit board, put in motors and solder the wires. Compared to traditional classes, student Micah Cramer said, “It’s definitely more hands-on.”
Each year, students also pick a project where they can use the skills they’ve learned to help others. Last year, they built a ramp and completed home improvement projects for a local veteran. “These kids get more interested when there’s a real social need,” Lehman said. “It motivates them.”
Lehman, who also works as an industrial designer at Cooper Lighting Solutions and builds furniture, first opened his membership-based makerspace in 2013, where locals could use the equipment necessary to learn new skills or start businesses. When he was asked to teach the school’s maker space it was a natural fit. “I love to make things,” he admits. By translating head knowledge into hand skills, Lehman said students develop craftsmanship and retain more of what they learn. “It’s the real-world application of what we’re learning,” he said.
To learn more about makerspace learning at The Foundry, go to www.thefoundryschool.org.
