Brenda & Reid Chen Innovation Lab opens its doors — and young minds

“Teachers were doing amazing work around design thinking, using the design cycle and implementing coding, robotics and makerspace making in their classrooms,” says Innovation and Technology Coach Joanna Martin. “We have the Hixon Family Design Lab for students starting in Year 5, but we needed a space for the younger students that is more age and stage appropriate.”

This call for a new lab was heeded with amazing support from the UCC community, including the incredibly generous donation from Reid and Brenda Chen, parents of Year 4 student Tim Chen.
   

“We want our kids to be as prepared for the world as possible,” says Reid. “The world is changing so quickly, and the sooner they can use technology to enhance their learning and start to build their creative thinking skills, the better.”  

At the beginning stages, a committee including Sarah Fleming, head of the Preparatory School, and various faculty members convened to discuss what a new design lab with a makerspace could be. Martin worked closely with architect Alan Ng. 

“We decided on a location connected to the Wilder Library, which is seen as the heart of the Prep,” Martin says. “Many libraries, both in public settings and in similar schools, are adding makerspaces to have that cross-connection between research, collaboration and making.”

They then began dreaming up the design. Martin visited classes from SK to Year 5, showing examples of makerspaces, and handing every student a sheet on which they could sketch their visions of the space. The response was more than she could have imagined.  

“Some students went home and did some building,” Martin says. “The next morning, several students came in with large models, one made completely out of popsicle sticks. Another student made a LEGO vision of the space in their basement, and their parent emailed a video of it. When students across the grades saw all this, they started giving us their ideas as well.” 

The students suggested several ideas that came to fruition. They wanted the space to embrace not only innovation, but comfort. There are soft areas with rugs; seating options take into account students’ varying heights and sizes; and there are tables for standing or pulling up a stool. Following requests for a class pet, staff ordered a robotic dog. A LEGO wall was built into the space as part of the ideation zone. And a projector facing downwards was installed on the ceiling to create an interactive floor.   

Donations have also funded technology including 3D printers, a Glowforge laser cutter, Sphero Indi and Bolt robots, LEGO robotic kits, interactive screens, and making material for STEM activities. For now, Year 5 design, which Martin teaches, will use the lab regularly as part of their class; the younger students will use the space at their teachers’ discretion, as it ties into their curricula. 

Martin is excited about the lab’s myriad possibilities in design thinking.  

“It’s enhanced the offering, and opened new doors for both teachers and students.”