The following is a proposal for a STEAM program at DeWitt High School that has as its theme: green robotics or sustainable automation. The DCG is proud to help assist DHS in realizing the vision for this unique and vital program:
Proposal for DeWitt High School STEAM Dynamo
Rationale: The creation of a STEAM program (suggested by Jody two years ago through some exploratory meetings with several teachers) will address the following needs for DeWitt High School and DeWitt Public School District:
• Provide science credits for learners with diverse learning styles
• Provide students with career skills and job-related training
• Help improve student scores on standardized tests
• Make DeWitt High School the model of sustainability/alternative energy for the greater Lansing area
• Create project-based STEAM/STEM learning opportunities
• Serve as a catalyst for teachers to engage in more collaboration within and between departments via project-based learning
• Acquire significant funding for STEAM/STEM projects/clubs/classes and professional development for staff
• Teach students creative problem-solving methodologies
• Teach students how to invent
• Teach students how to develop new technologies focused primarily (but not limited to) on alternative energy/sustainability
• Teach students how to write and apply for patents
Central Theme or Program Concept: Green Robotics and Sustainable Automation
1. Students will develop/invent green technologies for robots to operate on solar power or biofuels
2. Students will develop/invent biodegradable components for robots
3. Students will develop and install solar arrays
4. Students will design green roof tops and interiors
5. Students will create art installations that mimic environmental processes
• Green robotics will help to unite and combine previous and current DHS initiatives on alternative energy/sustainability such as:
1. Windmill
2. Greenhouse
3. Recycling
4. Michigan Green School (Evergreen Status)
5. Solar Array Project – led by Elena DeLaCruz and Addisyn Henning with help from Fred Hingst and Jason LaFay
6. Bond Improvements/Renovations (STEAM related spaces such as makerspace and labs)
7. Camp Invention
8. Hour of Code
Key (potential!!!) participants in launching the DHS STEAM Dynamo:
• DHS Robotics Team (Rob Bush)
• DeWitt Research and Development Laboratory (Brian Byars)
• Creative Leadership: Opportunities for Social Innovation class (Jeff Croley)
• DeWitt Creativity Group (Jeff Croley and Jason LaFay)
• Applicable business, art, and STEM classes (Jessica Schultz, Michael Hitchcock, Chris Thelen, others?)
• Solar Array Team – (independent study and classes such as DRDL and Creative Leadership) Fred Hingst and Jason LaFay
• Possible Green roof and environmental design group (Dawn Arnett and Katie Noyes)
• Environmental Club (Chris Thelen)
• Art Club (Jessica Schultz)
• DeWitt High School InvenTeam (see “Recommendations Section”)
Resources:
• Marshall Plan for Talent: (state of Michigan effort that funds K-12 schools with programs to train students for STEAM/STEM careers) https://www.michigan.gov/ted/0,5863,7-336-85008---,00.html
• Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams: (this is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology foundation that provides 10,000 grants to high school teams to invent a solution to a real world problem of their choosing): http://lemelson.mit.edu/inventeams
• Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association
• United States Trademark and Patent Office
• Consumers Energy
• Lansing Board of Water and Light
• Michigan State University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (other departments)
• Various local, state, and national STEM/STEAM foundations
• Various local, state, and national robotics organizations
• Career Cruising
• MI Bright Future
• Appropriate Technology Collaborative (Ann Arbor based nonprofit that provides opportunities for students to develop/invent sustainable technologies for rural areas in Guatemala, Honduras, and low-income neighborhoods in Detroit)
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation
• Lansing Economic Area Partnership
• Lansing Maker Network
• Arts Council of Greater Lansing
• DeWitt Public Schools Foundation
• Iowa STEM Accelerator
Recommendations:
• Start an InvensTeam through the Lemelson-MIT Foundation such as the ones at Williamston and Stockbridge High Schools with a focus on green robotics
• Apply for an Opportunity Grant from the Marshall Plan for Talent (the Stockbridge InvensTeam was awarded a $200,000 grant for their work related to Lamprey Eels in the Great Lakes!)
• Offer several sections of DeWitt Research and Develop Laboratory classes
• Offer several sections of Creative Leadership: Opportunities for Social Innovation classes (teach students creative problem-solving skills, design thinking, and how to write and apply for patents for additional funding)
• Create and offer a career explorations class (I have discussed the idea of such a class with Steve Crowley that requires students to conduct more in-depth examinations of STEM/STEAM careers)
• Offer independent studies for the solar array and environmental design efforts
• Designate applicable classes for the STEAM Dynamo program
• Provide a STEAM track for students to earn a specific number of credits
• Students who successfully complete and pass the appropriate classes in the STEAM track should receive a designation on their diplomas
• Develop and/or use a common template for planning various STEAM PROJECTS (this includes writing and applying for patents)
• Gradually integrate more project-based learning in STEAM track classes and beyond
• Provide professional development opportunities for staff on project-based learning
• Develop partnerships with for-profit and non-profit organizations
• Seek in kind donations of materials and expertise from various organizations
• Build relevant networks to learn about potential funding sources and other opportunities
• Apply for grants (another skill that should be taught to students: grant writing)
• Celebrate the work of STEAM Dynamo and other creative groups by holding a schoolwide innovation assembly such as the showcase put on every year by the Creative Leadership: Opportunities for Innovation class
• Start an Innovation Wall of Fame that includes recognition of any awards, grants, and issued patents