design thinking summer institute - Ernest Manning HS

High School Football Concussion Study - 2014 Impact Awareness Program (IAP)
Wayde Byemoen

Monitor and collect data on every head impact within our high school football program (all practices and games) at Ernest manning High School.  This program is referred to as the 2014 Impact Awareness Program (IAP).

This project has had a huge impact on both the practical and theoretical aspects of my teaching practice. It has allowed me and the students to bring meaningful, real world data and information from the field into the classroom.  The 2014 IAP has involved and engaged over 75 sports medicine students and 100 football players during the first semester alone. Additionally, it has provided a framework of understanding about similar contact sports and head injuries that I/we discuss during the second semester.  

Work on this project reinforced my belief in the value of cross-disciplinary work for both students and staff.  Not only were students able to bring and represent their experiences and learning from this program into other core courses they taking but the program also served to build personal and professional connections between teaching staff centered around the learning and growth of our students.   

This project from a student perspective has yielded more engagement on a per student basis than any other single CTS project that I am aware of.  This project directly impacts the learning of several hundred students on a variety of levels.  As a result, engagement and enrollment within the Sports Medicine program here at Ernest Manning HS are at all times highs.    

design thinking summer institute - EP Scarlett HS - AP Biology

DIY Biology
Natalie McLeod and Mike McKillop


Our original idea centered around DIY biology and synthetic biology. Similar to the maker space that we visited, there are similar spaces in some cities focused on synthetic biology. We wanted the students to research the ideas around synthetic biology and DIY biology and then write their own proposals. 

The project allowed teachers to let the students explore a very interesting but diverse topic on their own and allow them to focus on their interest. Teachers are unable to keep up with all the rapid developments in field of synthetic biology and this project allowed the students do some of the legwork. We learned a lot from their projects.

For the students, the projects allowed them to develop a number of skills and dispositions that they will be able to further develop in their academic careers. Their understanding of synthetic biology was vastly improved – the general idea of it but for some groups also to a very high level of technical expertise. They saw opportunities for future research as well.  

Some of the most highlighted student findings were:

·        Time management – a project spread out over 4 months and 2 semesters challenged them but also provided opportunities. They really appreciated the small deadlines along the way

·        How difficult creative can be. For many, coming up with initial topic was tough.

·        Learning how to be critical of online materials. Most eventually found academic journals and resources to be most valuable

·        Teamwork

·        Many used Google docs for the first time and found it very powerful

·        Using APA referencing style. Most hated it at first but found it easy to work with after the initial learning curve. They saw the value in it.

·        Having to pitch their project in 5 minutes. Distilling 4 months of work into 5 minutes was challenging but useful. They enjoyed the business aspect of the project as they were competing for funding.

The project stimulated a number of conversations ranging from the nature of scientific inquiry and original research to ethics and environmental issues. These conversations not only occurred in class but also between students as they were working on their projects.

A few weeks after the completion of this project, we observed an unexpected positive outcome of this type of inquiry. During a field study, students were required to develop their own thesis for a snow ecology study and then investigate it with very little preamble. This year, students seemed more at ease with this process than in previous years. 

Having students apply the design process to a project in synthetic biology really had them thinking about the nature of science. It was no longer about the content, the students had to be creative and problem solve using their own knowledge and then search for reputable sources to help them further develop their ideas. Working in teams, they not only worked through technical aspects of synthetic biology but also explored how it could be used to solve environmental or health issues. Topics for the projects ranged from estrogen biosensors, biofuels and disease detection to bioremediation and the breakdown of plastics in the environment.

Students had the time to think deeply about a topic, develop their ideas and learn from their failures. Many for the first time, had to access scientific journals and evaluate current research in a field that they were learning about.

design thinking summer institute - William Aberhart HS

Woodcut Printmaking
Matt Crawley

The original idea was to develop a method for students to take a digital photograph/image and make a multi-layer print using traditional woodcut printmaking methods.  The goal was to use digital technologies to separate the photo into layers and use a CNC machine to carve the woodblocks.

After having the idea of using a CNC machine (computer programmed router) to cut woodblocks for printmaking (and making it much easier to create multi-layered prints), I did some research which led me to a Kansas City based artist named Mike Lyon http://mlyon.com/ .  We ended up exchanging a few emails, which gave me the confidence that students would be capable of this work, and that it is not cheating, but in many ways, expands the learning opportunities exponentially.  I’m grateful for his openness about his process and his support.

In the example shown (Mike Lyon’s “Rod”), the original image has been separated into 16 layers of “luminosity” using Adobe Photoshop (or similar) and then a reverse image woodblock was cut using a CNC router for each layer.  Then each layer gets printed separately on a press using progressively darker shades of ink.  The result is an ink print with photographic qualities. 

For art students, this project exposes them to technologies not traditionally associated with printmaking; however, they certainly have a role to play, and more importantly are widely used in various industries, from graphic arts, to cabinetmaking and machining. 

Sharon Marriott and Lorraine Mageau, the art teachers at William Aberhart High School, have offered great support with the printmaking side of this project, helping to source the right ink and paper to use with the woodblocks and setting the printing press.  To experiment, we made a two layer image from a local historical photograph.  After a lot of trial and error, from Photoshop, to the CNC, to the printing process, we arrived at the right combination of variables to make successful prints.  It has taken a long timeframe of short moments of collaboration.  Sharon and Lorraine are, now, shopping the idea to some of their Art students who they think might be interested in pursuing this as an independent project for their portfolios.  I’m looking forward to seeing what the students do with it.

There is an excellent book, called “Post-Digital Printmaking” that is worth reading for anyone with an interest in this subject.  This links to the chapter on Mike Lyon and his process: http://mlyon.com/2012/post-digital-printmaking/