A look at the unforgettable 2018 experience...Ben Nadire Ph. D.

SEEK 2018 dedicated to the late Professor Calestous Juma

Kent School dedicated its 2018 Summer Educational Experience at Kent (SEEK) program to the late

Professor Calestous Juma

Professor Juma was a Kent parent and Trustee and was one of the earliest advisors to and contributors to the

SEEK program, teaching sessions of the program for several summers.

Professor Juma was a Professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard Kennedy

School and Director of the Belfer Center’s Science, Technology, and Globalization Project. He also directed the Center’s

Agricultural Innovation Policy in Africa and Health Innovation Policy in Africa projects, and he taught highly popular executive education courses on innova-tion, technology, and entrepreneurship.

SEEK is a summer residential and day program where students can choose to explore a “deep dive” into

business and engineering education via sessions in Aviation, Manufacturing, Biomedical and Biochemical Engineering and Entrepreneurship.

Kent uniquely prepares students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

(STEM) fields by supplementing their liberal arts education with the Wentz Pre-Engineering and SEEK programs, and provides robust opportunities for them to establish the foundation for further study at college. Kent’s summer SEEK program serves as an excellent springboard for the engineering experience offered during the regular school year as well as for working toward the completion of the Pre-Engi-neering Certificate offered at Kent

SEEK 2018 was held in collabo-ration with U. Penn’s Wharton School of Business, the University

of Connecticut’s School of Engineering, the University of Delaware’s College of Engineering/Harvard University, Georgia Tech’s Integrated Product Lifestyle Engi-neering (IPLE) Laboratory, FlightSafety International, and Performance Flight School.

SEEK instructors this year included Dr. Sujata Bathia MD, Ph.D. ,PE, the Calestous Juma Fellow in Engineer-

ing at Kent and Professor Keith Weigelt, Visiting Fellow in Business at Kent.

SEEK is also made possible with the support of Kent alumni. For the second year Dr. John Wasson ‘63

provided two full scholarships for stu-dents from Lebanon High School in New Hampshire. One student attended SEEK Aviation and another student attended the SEEK program in Biomedical and Biochemical Engineering.

The Pre-E program is based on:

--> The report of the US National Acad-emy of Engineering (NAE) on Global Challenges for Engineering --> The “Habits of Mind” (the values, attitudes, and thinking skills associat-ed with engineering) outlined by the NAE and the US National Research Council’s Center for Education --> The Accreditation Board for Engineer-ing and Technology (ABET) Criterion 3: whereby student oucomes must include the ability: a) to apply a knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to engineering technology problems that require limited applica-tion of principles but extensive practical knowledge; b) to function effectively as a member of a technical team; c) to identify, analyze, and solve narrowly defined engi-neering technology problems; d) to apply written, oral, and graphical communica-tion in both technical and non-technical environments; e) to identify and use appropriate technical literature.

AviationExcited to fly a plane! Page 4

Biomedical & BiochemicalVisit to UConn Biomedical lab Page 4

EntrepreneurshipPitching their own business Page 5

ManufacturingTrying DeWalt’s latest tools Page 5

Pre-EngineeringLearning Fusion 360 CAD software Page 6

Summer Educational Experience at Kent

2 August 2018

Two Keynote AddressesCreativity

Mr. Giorgio Baravalle, a Kentparent (Morgan ’17 and Camer-on ’20), Principal and Creative

Director of de.MO presented the intro-ductory Keynote about Creativity. He began with an overview of creativity, how we use creativity in our day to day lives and how we can apply those basic prin-ciples to creativity in design and across various fields. After Mr. Baravale intro-duced de.MO, his branding and design company, and some of the work the com-pany has done (including working with the UN, lecturing at WestPoint, and help-ing a video production company rebrand itself), Mr. Baravalle and his assistant Melina ran several workshops to stimulate dynamic creativity. Students focused on projects with the goal of exploring and understanding the entire design process.

After the presentation, students, participated in a 10-minute face mapping exercise dictated by sen-

sation only. A second exercise involved pairs of students using 50 pieces of paper to apply a different technique to EACH piece of paper. In the last portion of the workshop students put together an informative story board, in 10 frames, of a moment in their life that they remember vividly. After a group presentation they were required to re-enact the story in front of a video camera, one participant at a time. The final videos were presented to the entire class.

Public Speaking

Stephany Santos, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut, gave

the keynote address in the August SEEK session. She relayed that she started off not knowing what engineering really was, thinking that engineers only made planes, trains, and bridges. She learned that engineers can change the world. She learned behind every great doctor, there’s a great biomedical engineer. She currently researches the movements and mechanisms behind the disease osteo-arthritis. In addition to her biomedical research, Stephany talked about her other passion: progress. She is heavily invest-ed in improving communication skills and interpersonal relationships in group settings, especially for engineers. Students took the Myers-Briggs personality test and found out their personal tendencies when it comes to speaking, thinking, con-flict resolution, and idea generation. Since most of the group ested as Introverts with Intuitive, Emotion-Based Perceivers, they learned how to leverage their strengths as well as how to work with others that are different personality types (such as extro-verts or fact-based decision makers).

After the Keynote, Stephany led stu-dents in a public speaking session and a presentation skills session.

Students learned attributes needed to be an engaging presenter, and practiced by sharing what they each thought to be the best invention of all time. Students then created advanced PowerPoints presenta-tions based on their initial speeches and presented hem. Students learned to give and receive positive and constructive criticism, and how to craft criticism based on knowledge of the receiver’s personal-ity type. Her takeaway message was that words and the ability to communicate are incredibly important. One could be the most brilliant person in the world, but if one can’t share or communicate his or her ideas to others, it’s not useful.

August 2018 3

Eight Field Trips

Stanley Black & Decker, Brewster, NY

ER Sharon Hospital, Sharon, CT

Antique Machinery and Mining Museum, Kent, CT

Kent Falls, Kent, CT

UCONN Health Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences

FlightSafety International, Teterboro, NJ

Performance Flight, Westchester Airport, CT

The New England Air Museum, East Granby, CT

VT

4 August 2018

The Aviation session is a six-day program focused on coupling a classroom learning experience with

actual hands-on learning. The students learned a host of aerospace subjects including low and high speed aerody-namics, fixed-wing vehicle performance, elements of the design process, function of control surfaces on all aerospace vehicles, how jet engines work, and the history of flight.

Throughout the week, the students had access to a flight simulator where they began to get a feel for

how various airplanes handle. The stu-dents were also able to pilot a Cirrus SR20 light aircraft through Performance Flight at the Westchester airport. Students were also able to try out the state-of-the-art flight simulator at FlightSafety Interna-tional, where they simulated flight of a Dassault Falcon 2000 with 6 degrees of freedom.

The students also visited the New England Air Museum, where they sow a B-29 and an original, func-

tioning Wright Brothers engine.

Professor Sujata Bathia MD, Ph.D., PE from the University of Delaware and Harvard University, and Mr. Jeremy

Sokolnicki from the Science Department, focused on genomics and disease from a design and engineering perspective. Dr. Bathia led lectures covering topics including the global burden of disease, the technical challenges of biochemical and biomedical engineering, and the need to overcome limitations when innovating. Several off-site trips allowed students to view the progression of innovation, from the early industrial age through current genomics research, with the hope of gain-ing an appreciation for what it means to innovate, experiment, and think inde-pendently and critically. Mr. Sokolnicki led lab activities focusing on molecular genomics and diagnostics.

Throughout the week, students devel-oped project ideas as they learned more about the field, and the week

culminated in their independent presenta-tions to the larger SEEK audience. Topics focused on the use of genetic engineering to achieve a specific goal, including elim-inating part of the food allergy cascade, eliminating Type 1 Diabetes, and making cigarette smoke less toxic.

The lab component of the program started with the extraction of the students own DNA for an analysis

of variants within two different genes, the OXTR and ACE genes, each with pheno-typic significance in humans. The ethical concerns surrounding genomic testing were discussed in some detail. Concur-rently, students isolated and purified genomic DNA from a variety of test foods in order to search for traces of genetic modification - the relevance of which was discussed and debated. After extract-ing DNA and purifying it, students used unique PCR approaches to focus on the areas of interest within the different exper-imental designs, restriction enzyme

AviationBiomedical & Biochemical

digestion to look for specific variation, and finally, gel electrophoresis to visualize the DNA and determine the various pheno-types. Who was an OXTR mutant? Which food was genetically modified? How certain could we be? A computer-based genomics activity highlighted the bigger picture of genomics research. The week wrapped up with a simulated disease outbreak, and the need to rapidly screen samples for pathogens using diagnos-tic assays based on the principles of the immune system.

August 2018 5

SEEK 2018 students participated in an Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, led by Professor Keith Weigelt of the

Wharton School and taught by an entre-preneur. Students learned topics such as developing their creative strengths, brainstorming and lateral thinking, com-petitive analysis, operations management, budgeting and accounting, launching a business, and presentation skills. Students engaged in hands-on learning, including playing a game designed to simulate a production factory. This game brought together all elements that students had learned, including working in a team. It was a competitive and fun environment.

The week culminated with students creating and pitching their own business. This business was an

iPhone App, MyKent, which served as a hub that linked all media platforms at Kent, offering students a one-stop-shop for all their digital needs. “Our app helps students be much more productive,” said one student. “It shows you your card bal-ance and links platforms like Veritas and your email so you’re not always logging into five things to see all your deadlines and events.” As an app, MyKent is accessi-ble on the go – Kent students do not need to be at a computer or logged in from their dorm room. The App even interfaces with local restaurants so students can request take-out or delivery. Students experi-enced hands-on what it is like to be an entrepreneur and develop a business from concept to pitch.

In the opening days of the Manufactur-ing session, students were introduced to one of the most widely used CAD

platforms used by Engineers: Catia. Through hands-on tutorials, the students learned the building blocks of Computer Aided Design that were going to help them accomplish certain milestones during the final challenge. The students then worked with Lego Mindstorms NXT robots. During this portion of the session, students learned the basics of programing through small scale tutorials and daily challenges. The ideas communicated included proportional line following, sensor strategies, and terrain navigation.

As the first week ended, students were introduced to the prize challenge that would occupy the

remainder of the session. This challenge consisted of multiple areas on a playing field; Including various terrains, obsta-cles, and objectives. The students took the basics that they learned in the first week and applied the Engineering design method to come up with unique solu-tions to the problems they faced. Students designed their own wheels to ensure optimal control and terrain navigation as well as an arm that could collect and distribute samples. From a programming perspective, students learned the value of system testing as they perfected semi-au-tonomous programs that could navigate the entirety of the course. As certain milestones of the course were completed, each team earned points based on their performance.

During the weekend, the students were introduced to the VEX robotics challenge. A practice

“Sack Attack” tournament revealed the strengths and weaknesses of each robot, leading to modifications to improve the designs. “Sack Attack” motivated students to come up with innovative methods and also program the robots for the autono-mous section of the VEX competition.

Entrepreneurship Manufacturing

6 August 2018

the sun’s rays. They tested the voltage and current generated by their solar cells with digital multimeters, comparing the effi-ciency and power generated by each juice. Students used a Vernier spectrophotome-ter to analyze the berry juice’s spectrum of absorption within the range of visible light. In systematically collecting their data, stu-dents were able to draw conclusions about the pros and cons of using dye-sensitized-solar cells as a source of renewable energy.

Prototyping

The prototyping sessions, directed by Ryan Harris, focused on teaching students how to use a computer

aided design (CAD) program. The project was to conceptualize and design a phone stand that would be made from acrylic using a laser cutter. The phone stand’s one requirement was that it hold the student’s phone, any other features were left to the student. The students were encouraged to implement whatever they though would work in their initial design. The key to prototyping, as explained to the students, is to identify what works in a design and what problems need to be solved. Once the students’ first design was made, they were given the task of improving on their design (by possibly making it more stable or adding additional features to the stand for example).

Building a shed

For ore than three hours, the SEEK Pre-Engineering August partici-pants did a tremendous job working

together to build a shed that was initially in pre-cut mode. The floor framing and the wall framing were completed. Safety, communication, and proper tool use were the highlights of this exercise, which is a life time learning experience.The shed, once finished, will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut.

In this five-day exploratory program, stu- dents rotated through multiple hands-on projects every day. Each project touched upon a different discipline of engineer- ing, from environmental engineering, to computer science engineering, and everything in between. Students worked individually and in teams to not only learn about different technologies, but also how to communicate them effectively to general audiences.

Fail Forward

The Robotics session was based on VEX Sack Attack game that is is played on a 12’x12’ square field. Two

alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a fifteen second autonomous period followed by one minute and forty-five seconds of driv-er-controlled play.

Alliances built and modified robots to compete in the VEX “Sack Attack”. After becoming familiar

with the basic design, most groups tested their robots with innovations tailored to the new challenges of “Sack Attack.” Students worked in pairs to design their robot from scratch, down to every nut, bolt, wheel, and aesthetic design. Students designed, tested, re-designed, re-tested, completing all iterations of the engineer-ing design process.

The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing Alli-ance by scoring Sacks and Bonus

Sacks in your colored Floor Goals,

Light is Power

The Renewable Energy session, led by Julie Zurolo, focused on solar cells and circuitry. The students began by

creating small dye-sensitized solar cells using berry juices which contain anthocy-anins that emit electrons when excited by

Pre-Engineering

August 2018 7

Dr. Sujata Bhatia is a physician, bioengineer, and professionally licensed chemical engineer. She is an Associate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a faculty member in the Harvard Kennedy School’s executive education program in Innovation for Economic De-velopment. She is also Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware, a top 10 program in chemical engineering.Her work has included the development of bioadhesives for wound closure, the development of minimally invasive medical devices, the devel-opment of microspheres for the minimally invasive treatment of cancerous tumors and the research of omega-3 fatty acids for heart health. She is the author of four books: Biomaterials for Clinical Applications; Engineering Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine; Medical Devices and Biomaterials for the Developing World: Case Studies in Ghana and Nicaragua; and Naturally Based Biomaterials and Therapeutics: The Case of India. She has served on panels and committees for the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation, Institute of Medicine, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Bhatia graduated from the University of Delaware in 1999 with Bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. She received her combined M.D./Ph.D. degrees at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.Professor Keith Weigelt is the Marks-Darivoff Family Professor of Strategy at The Wharton School, and a Professor of Education at The Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. He is the course head of Management 653 – Field Application Project (FAP). More than 300 MBAs take the applied strategy class each year. Keith is a game theorist and his teaching focuses on the theory’s relevance to the busi-ness world. He is the recipient of Wharton School Excellence in Teaching Awards for both his negotiation and strategy classes.Keith has extensive experience in the social impact field. He has worked extensively with microfinance institutions both in the United States and abroad. He teaches classes on both microfinance and the management of disaster relief.Keith has assumed the role of an activist professor. He is the founder and director of Building Bridges to Wealth (BBTW). BBTW is an inno-vative Wharton based program that teaches business literacy to grammar and high school students and to adults. The goal of the program is to increase the wealth of families living in inner city neighborhoods. More than 900 adults have taken the adult business literacy program. Class-es are free and held either in the evening or on weekends. BBTW’s program is unique because it offers participants the opportunity to form communities of wealth after graduation. The communities are composed of peer-to-peer savings groups, mutual fund investing groups, and a microloan fund. More than 400 participants have contributed roughly $60,000 to investing groups as of April, 2014. The current savings group has over sixty members and will generate a lending pool of over $75,000. Professor Weigelt has published numerous articles in management and economics journals. He is the coauthor of Managerial Economics (seventh edition) a book that is the category leader in the global education market. His articles have also appeared in several books and the popular press. Professor Weigelt’s SEEK Entrepreneurship program has been running for five years and was instrumental to acquiring the building located at 23 North Main for the use as Pre-Engineering and Applied Sci-ences Center. Indeed, six years ago, the project based work of SEEK Entrepreneurship participants was to study the feasibility of the purchase of the building.Christine Galib is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Bridges to Wealth and the Director of Entrepreneurship and Wellness Pro-grams at The Village School. After co-founding a successful investment management team on Wall Street, she taught science, health & wellness, and yoga through Teach For America. A nationally certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, she founded Plan My Plate, a health & wellness consulting firm offering workshops on diet and exercise, stress management, mindfulness, and meditation. Ms. Galib gives presentations on wellness in corporate, hospital, and university settings, including Rice University’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. Stephany Santos is Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. She is a recipient of the 2017 Ford Founda-tion Fellowship by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her research focuses on cartilage biomechanics and under-standing osteoarthritis in the knee. Stephany is also a founder and advisor for the Engineering Ambassadors Program, a nationally recognized group that trains undergraduate students to inspire and engage K-12 students, especially students underrepresented in engineering, to consider a future in STEM. She teaches Public Speaking and Presentation Skills and how to communicate technical concepts to varied audiences. Jared Churchwell has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. He has done research in designing an electric ship architecture for the next generation of naval ships as well as helicopters. Jared has published a paper entitled The Epidemiology of Helicopter Accidents: Rates, Trends, and Covariates and presented it at the American Helicopter Society Forum 73. He was part of a senior design team to design a 24-hour hover vehicle for to meet an engineering challenge proposed by Sikorsky where Jared led the structures team in designing a sturdy, lightweight chassis instrumental in meeting the challenge. Jared is currently researching helicopter aerodynamics using NASA’s NDARC architecture.Julie Zurolo holds the William G. Carey III ‘52 Teaching Chair at Kent School, and is the recipient of the 2017 Wentz Fellowship in Pre-Engi-neering Education. Ryan Harris is a Mathematics instructor at Kent School. He earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Union College and his MS in Mate-rials Science and Engineering from Cornell University. He is the recipient of the 2018 Wentz Fellowship in Pre-Engineering Education.Jeremy Sokolnicki is a graduate Hamilton College and was a Senior Research Associate at Weill Medical College. Jeremy teaches Honors Biolo-gy, Genetics, and Biotechnology.Dr. Ben Nadire holds the Judith B. and Howard B. Wentz, Jr. Teaching Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies. He received a Fulbright Scholarship and earned a Ph.D. in Optimal Control Theory from Northeastern University as well as a Doctorate in Applied and Pure Mathematics from the University of Montpellier, France. He is the founder and coordinator of the SEEK program and founding director of Kent’s Pre-Engineering Program.

Instructors

SEEKFor more information visit:

https://www.kent-school.edu/academics/seek