Mark HavensRecently the Jefferson Industrial Design program hosted students from several area high schools for “Discover Industrial Design Day”.
The event gives high school juniors and seniors a first-hand look at the Jefferson Industrial Design program. Through a series of fast-paced, exciting exercises, students learn about key skills taught in the program including rapid prototyping and ethnographic research. One of these (shown in the image above) is called the “Off The Wall” project in which students get 20 minutes to build the longest bristol board structure they can without using tape or fasteners of any kind. The team with the structure that spans the furthest from its mounting point on the wall wins. Students need to collaborate and quickly create multiple solutions within rigorous constraints, which are skills that we as industrial designers use every day.
Students then take a tour of the program’s studios and maker shops and get a chance to examine finished projects in detail including Capstone (Senior) level work. A Q&A session with current Industrial Design students rounds out the day. This time, the group even got a chance to sit in on and give feedback in a critique for the Third-Year Studio class!
The whole day is designed to help students get a feel for what the Jefferson Industrial Design program is really like. Often, many who initially visit during a Discover ID Day return to sit in on a specific Studio class or do what we call “shadowing”. This is when a prospective student accompanies an Industrial Design student throughout a typical school day from beginning to end. It’s a great way to get the full Jefferson experience in detail.
There are lots of ways to connect with the Jefferson Industrial Design program and we welcome you to take advantage! For more information or to arrange a visit, simply contact: mark.havens@jefferson.edu. We look forward to seeing you!
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