Kent School takes pride in its record of innovative and progressive educational endeavors. The Pre‐Engineering program started in 2007, with a framework that has two objectives: 1. to raise awareness of and expose our students to topics and practices in the Engineering and technical fields. 2. to identify interested students with the potential to succeed in Engineering‐related studies.
We hope to establish Kent School as a high school with a strong and diverse body of future Engineering students. To this end we seek to enrich the student STEM educational experience by: 1. developing the knowledge and talents of our faculty 2. offering dynamic and relevant coursework 3. encouraging the exploration of various Engineering topics using competitions, speakers, and field trips 4. providing financial assistance for independent study As the program grows in size, scope, and funding, we will expand the facilities available. For those who have the ability and interest in Pre‐ Engineering, we have organized a set of requirements – detailed below – which, when completed, earns students a Pre‐ Engineering Certificate. Kent School offered summer programs in 2012 and 2013 to give high school students, including those who will be beginning ninth grade, the chance to experience engineering education and entrepreneurship. The Summer Educational Experience at Kent (SEEK) has been offered in partnership with professionals from several institutions. The aim of this program is to foster greater interest among high school students in applied learning. The various SEEK programs focus on Pre‐Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Global Development. The programs promote curiosity and enthusiasm in these areas while building students’ confidence and skills, and developing their critical thinking and problem solving‐skills. In collaboration with institutions of higher learning, the program: 1) Provides an introduction to the field of Engineering and the skills needed for the conception, design and manufacture of materials; exposes students to topics and practices in the engineering and technical fields; and promotes systems thinking, creativity, optimism, collaboration, communication, and ethical considerations. 2) Cultivates in students the spirit of Entrepreneurship and innovation; raises awareness and appreciation of the role of the private sector in economic growth; fosters business analytical skills, explores the ethical and social aspects of enterprise development. 3) Inspires students to explore how to leverage the power of engineering in solving Global Development challenges; focuses on specific fields such as energy, education, health and nutrition; and examines the cultural, social, and ethical dimensions of economic change. The overall program builds on concepts such as the “Habits of Mind” outlined by the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the US National Research Council's Center for Education, as well as NAE’s report on Global Challenges for Engineering. It is conducted through lectures, hands‐on activities, field visits and roundtable discussions.
SEEK1 Pre‐Engineering: The Wentz Pre‐Engineering program, now in its “Needless to say, Elizabeth's experience at SEEK was truly life‐ changing… sixth year, added SEEK1 into its framework to continue its ongoing effort I do know that she has been more engaged in the activities at to strengthen effective STEM education at Kent by raising awareness and SEEK than she has been in the past two years. It's refreshing to see her so passionate about what she's learning. For that, I thank interest in engineering throughout the school and by identifying you profusely. interested students with the potential to succeed in engineering‐related If Elizabeth becomes an engineer, it is because of the amazing introduction she had to engineering through the SEEK program.” studies. From Tamara Stepton, a parent of SEEK 1 participant The cornerstone of SEEK1 is student engagement and exposure to innovation and design in STEM‐focused areas that model real‐world contexts. It introduces prototyping (3D color printing), manufacturing, Renewable Energy, and a VEX Robotics competition on an official VEX field. SEEK2 Entrepreneurship: Wharton Professor Keith Weigelt, the coordinator “As the entire SEEK program draws to an end, I firmly believe of the Field Application Project (FAP) and Associate Director Stacy Franks that what I've learned will better prepare me for the future. I must confess that it was a lot of work, but at the same time, the run the SEEK2 program where students knowledge also enriches our lives, our thinking. It could be that delve into the creative world of you [Dr. Weigelt] are the first ever college professor to teach me Entrepreneurship and explore innovative that I'm so attracted to your lectures. I can ask anything I want and you'll not only answer my question but expand the question. thinking while working in small groups. I've even learned a lot in our conversations. For example, two Topics covered include Business Plan nights before our final day, we had a little discussion on the logistics of the presentation. That conversation not only Ideas, Competitive Environments, Sales straightened up the logic of the final presentation but also and Marketing, Pricing Strategies, changed my way of thinking entirely. The SEEK III presentation Operations & Human Resource yesterday was another success because of that conversation. Only this time, I was the one who straightened up the logistics Management, Budgeting and Accounting. SEEK2 also includes a BOX for my teammates.” simulation of “How to Start a Business” run by Team Business Inc. From Max Zuo ’14, SEEK2 and SEEK3 participant SEEK3 Global Development: Grand Challenges for Engineering: Students learn how to leverage the power of engineering to solve global economic challenges. This session includes themes selected from, but not limited to: Engineering in Economic History, Health and Nutrition, Energy and Water, and Education Technology. The program is run under the leadership of Professor Calestous Juma, Director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Project at Harvard Kennedy School along with Dr. Sujata Bhatia the Assistant Director for Undergraduate Studies in Biomedical Engineering and the Assistant Dean at Harvard Summer School. Four students from Harvard University and MIT and Sugar Labs, One Laptop per Child Foundation, three Kent faculty and a Kent alumni contributed to the program in June, 2013
Kent School has expressed interest in offering a TEAM Summer Camp at Kent in the summer of 2014. In addition, Kent School is expanding its Pre‐Engineering and Applied Sciences Program into a 28,000 sq. ft. building. In view of these opportunities, Georgia Tech’s Integrated Product Lifecycle Engineering (IPLE) Laboratory, under the leadership of Pr. Schrage, has agreed to sponsor a TEAM Workshop at Kent School on October 12‐16, 2013 to introduce students, faculty and staff at Kent School to Georgia Tech’s TEAM summer camps and discuss how it can implement a similar camp program at Kent and also identify the appropriate prize challenge‐based curriculum relevant to the SEEK and Pre‐Engineering and Applied Science Programs at Kent School.
Manufacturing Engineering (Fall Term‐started 2011) A term‐contained introduction to manufacturing science and engineering and prototype part production. Manufacturing Engineering takes advantage of the prototyping provided by the school’s 3D printing and CNC machining capabilities. The course seeks to answer several questions: Is the design too complex to manufacture? How can the design be improved to increase manufacturability? What materials are needed to produce it? How can it be produced?
Structures: Design and Testing (Winter Term‐started 2010) Students build structures, test their strength, and see how physical and mathematical principles contribute to the structural strength of a design. Analysis of design and of the performance of structures is from the point of view of materials science. It includes problems of form versus function and practical considerations of strength versus cost. Prerequisite: Geometry and Algebra 2 & Trigonometry.
Engineering Design (Spring term‐started 2010) Engineering Design is a term‐contained introduction to the principles and practice of design. It covers mechanical drawing and documentation, reverse engineering, design principles, and design presentation (in both 2 and 3 dimensions). We live in a world surrounded by objects that have been intentionally conceived, designed, manufactured, and assembled by other people. This course embraces two aims: to give the student greater appreciation for and understanding of their designed world and to provide an introduction to the skills inherent in the conception, design, and manufacture of material.
Field trips are an integral part of the Pre‐Engineering program. Students and faculty have visited: • Crew Design Inc., Kent, CT • The Connecticut Science Center, Hartford, CT (during its construction) • The IBM facility, Poughkeepsie, NY • Optiwind, Torrington, CT • Pratt & Whitney, Hartford, CT • the agricultural and mining museum of the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association t • Emergency Room of Sharon Hospital, Sharon, CT • a fuel cell plant operated by AMERESCO in Middletown, CT
“Going on the field trip to AMCO Precision Tool opened my eyes to not only how complicated it is to design specific mechanisms to perform unique tasks, but how much precision is required to make a premium product. The extra millionth of an inch can matter.” Pesce, Zoe ‘14
1. Dr. David Mueller (June 2013) shared his life experiences from Kent (class of 1963) to his graduate days at MIT and as a senior manager at Chevron. His experience spans several decades of work throughout the world. 2. Mr. Walter Bender (June 2013) Mr. Bender of Sugar Labs emphasized the difference between “education” and “learning.” 3. Dr. Sujata Bhatia (Keynote June 2013) from SEAS stressed the role of engineers in solving societal challenges in fields such as sustainability (solar power, fusion energy, carbon sequestration, and nitrogen cycle); human wellbeing (clean water, infrastructure, health, medicines, and the human mind); security (nuclear terror and cyber security); and learning and discovery (virtual reality, personalized learning, and tools for scientific discovery). 4. Mr. Russ Marvin (June 2013) CEO, LC Drives. Serial entrepreneur, most recently founded wind turbine company, Optiwind, which grew to more than 40 people with a working 300kW wind turbine. Previously a technical vice president in the fuel cell company, Plug Power, through its successful IPO. Current company is a startup that has developed energy efficient permanent magnet motors that are less than half the size of the motors built today. Lecture: “(a) Energy in today’s world (b) Engineers – what do they really do” 5. Pr. Wesley Harris (September 2012) Associate Provost, MIT, Charles Stark Draper Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the director of the Lean Sustainment Initiative at MIT; Head of MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics from 2003 to 2008; Princeton University, Board of Trustees (2001‐2005) ;Connecticut University, Dean of Engineering (1985‐90) and Vice President and chief administrative officer of the University of Tennessee Space Institute from 1990 to 1993. All‐school lecture: “The Grand Challenges of Engineering “ 6. Mr. Jean Koppel (Keynote June 2012) Business director of $2‐5 million design agencies; engineering and design firms Billings Jackson and Buro Happold/NYC; instructor for the integration of business, design, and engineering for the 21st century. Presentation: “Learn to think and problem‐solve like an engineer” 7. Eric Wilmot (Keynote June 2012) Design Engineer, overseas manufacturing liaison, and product portfolio strategist; innovation and management consultant with global tech and manufacturing leadership teams facing the paradigm shifts of a new global economy. Fellowship with the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program and teacher of sustainability and design‐thinking at Institute of Design‐ Chicago, and Pratt Institute. Presentation: “Learn to think and problem‐solve like an engineer” 8. Mr. W. L. Tang P’14 (April 2012) Mr. Wai‐Leung Tang, is a civil engineer, a chief engineer at the Transportation Department of the Hong Kong government and a teacher at the University of Hong Kong. Lecture: “Transportation planning and how engineering tools can help formulate transportation policy. What skills does engineering need?” 9. Mr. Brad Lauer (January 2012) Senior Director of Development of Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, VEX Robotics Competition. Presentation: “Why VEX is one of the most extensive and comprehensive educational robotics platforms available today”
10. Dr. Stacey Klein‐Gardner (April 2011) Chair elect of K‐12 and Precollege Division, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Director of STEM Outreach for Peabody College and the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Presentation: “Study and Careers in Engineering” 11. Dr. Eduardo Glandt (All school lecture November 2010) Dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, All‐school lecture: “The Field of Engineering” 12. Mr. Ben Clark (June 2010) President, RP Automation Inc., Bethel, CT Presentation: “Installing (and Training for) a Robotic Arm” 13. Mr. Charles Morehouse ’75 (April 2010) U Penn, Professional Engineer, BSME 1979, Morehouse Engineering Lecture: “Engineering as a Profession: Creativity with Constraints” 14. Dean H. Vincent Poor (All school lecture Nov. 2009) Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Princeton University. All‐school lecture: “3&4G ‐Mobile Mutimedia Anything, Anywhere, Anytime” 15. Dr. Richard Smith (February 2009) Scientist, PepsiCo Presentation: “Team work between engineers, biologists and chemists as it applies to research and technology transfer projects”
The Judith B. and Howard B. Wentz Jr. College Scholarship Prize in Pre‐Engineering recognizes the superlative academic achievement of motivated students who show a command of STEM fields, have shown a strong commitment to pursuing Pre‐Engineering studies while at Kent, and intend to major in engineering while in college. The recipient is selected by the faculty on the basis of curricular and extra‐curricular accomplishments related to the completion of Kent's Pre‐Engineering Certificate.
Kent has issued three Prizes in Pre‐Engineering. Nilesh Patel ‘12 (2010‐11) Joshua Hughes ‘12 (2011‐12) and Richard Diego ’13 ( 2012‐13)
The program supports students attending summer programs at Engineering colleges and Universities. These funds were provided to students prior to the implementation of Kent School’s own summer program on pre‐E engineering (SEEK Pre‐E).
In order to receive a Pre‐Engineering certificate from Kent School, a student is expected to fulfill the following requirements:
Category 1: Pre‐E courses (at least 4) Kent offers courses which can be taken for credit toward the certificate, which includes, but is not limited to: (The first three courses are non‐concurrent) • Manufacturing ‐term contained course* • Structures ‐term contained course* • Engineering Design ‐term contained course* • Architecture – offered every term* • Computer Science –offered every term for Computer Programming* or year around for AP Computer Science • AP Physics B ‐ year round course • Any course that uses hands‐on activities will be reviewed for Pre‐E relevance upon teacher’s request. (* one term suffices)
Category 2: Participation in a Pre‐Engineering Activity (1) Robotics via FIRST (2) Robotics Club using VEX Robotics (3) Attending SEEK‐ Pre‐Engineering (Summer Engineering Experience at Kent Pre‐E) (4) Independent Study project or other activities ‐ with the supervision/advising of a faculty member or an outside professional.
Category 3: Attendance at extra‐curricular activities • Field trips • Guest speakers
Category 4: Participation in a summer program. SEEK (Pre‐E) participation or Summer Programs or Independent Study projects will be expected. Research is highly recommended.
The Pre‐E certificate requires that a student not only take engineering coursework but also participate in extracurricular components: summer study, attending lectures and being an active member of Robotics Team or Robotics Club. A college will note the resolve and hard work that it takes to receive a Pre‐E certificate. The certificate symbolizes a student’s commitment to STEM fields and to an engineering pathway. Here is the list of the twelve students who fulfilled the Pre‐Engineering requirements and therefore received a Pre‐ Engineering certificate.
Our Pre‐E program uses Autodesk's VEX® Robotics Curriculum, which combines industry‐leading Autodesk Inventor design tools with the premier educational robotics platform for high schools, the VEX Robotics Design System. This modular and project‐ based curriculum teaches the design process in an engaging, hands‐on manner to help teachers challenge, motivate, and inspire their students. “The programing of the robots uses Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Academy software ROBOTC, a C‐based programming language, which adds a series of tools designed to bring the power and appeal of robotics into high school classrooms. The software is designed, through programming challenges, to re‐enforce programming concepts and help students quickly understand the relevance of what they are learning, and master the fundamentals of the engineering design process.”
Robotics, an afternoon winter term activity, competes annually in the FIRST Robotics competition. Morehouse Engineering, United Technologies Corporation (UTC) and Parametric Technology S.A. (PTC) are sponsors of Kent’s Robotics Team’s FIRST competition. Ken’s Robot’s name is Prometheus and its team number is 2785and it has been competing for six years.
The Fellowship, made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Howard B. Wentz, Jr. P’84, P’86, promotes professional development for Kent faculty members in the field of Engineering Education and promotes collaboration of Kent students and faculty with technical universities and industries during the academic year and in the summer months. There have been five fellowships awarded since the inception of the program. These fellowships allowed Kent Faculty to receive funds to allow them to attend conferences, training, and professional development in Engineering.