Artisan’s Asylum and Empow Studios Unveil New STEM Collaboration
Two top providers of quality tech education and makerspace environments have teamed up to bring new tech and arts programs for middle schoolers to Somerville, MA, this coming summer.
Somerville, MA— Empow Studios and Artisan’s Asylum, centers of STEM/STEAM innovation in learning across Metrowest and greater Boston communities, have joined together to bring Maker Innovation Summer Academy to Somerville, MA, in summer 2020, and to young folks aged 11 through 15 who are interested in enriching their experiences in designing, engineering, collaboration, and creativity. Artisan’s Asylum and Empow maintain a shared philosophy in providing opportunities for young students to apply scientific and engineering concepts to hands-on, project-based learning.
The two organizations have created curriculum that will underscore three principal programs beginning in July 2020. Each session, to be held at AA’s Tyler Street headquarters, runs for two weeks, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is designed to accentuate vital 21st-century skills. “Smart Fabrics and Wearable Tech” (running from July 13 through July 24) focuses on how technology can be integrated into things you wear or carry every day; students will ultimately create garments that include wearable tech and explore programming elements that can be added to various accessories. In “Designing a Micro-Space Tiny Home” (running July 27 through August 7), students will examine the tiny home phenomenon and how to maximize space and functionality; they’ll then design, prototype and build out a micro-space that fulfills the needs of a client through clever engineering, modular building, and smart design. “Build a Community-Powered Wheelchair” (running from August 10 through August 21) dives into micro-mobility and transportation concepts and issues, especially in regards to people with special physical needs; students will design and prototype personal transportation vehicles that address multiple needs of a given user, capping the session with the full-scale construction of a selected model.
Designs need to be seen in the real world, applied to solving real problems. This is where Artisan’s Asylum comes in with expertise in prototyping, engineering, manufacturing, and real-product design. We’re excited about the merging of these two superpowers to benefit young makers.
Leonid Tunik, CEO of Empow Studios
“This is a very exciting collaboration,” says Leonid Tunik, CEO of Empow Studios. “Our expertise is in teaching kids the use of digital design and creativity tools, but in the end, designs need to be seen in the real world, applied to solving real problems. This is where Artisan’s Asylum comes in with expertise in prototyping, engineering, manufacturing, and real-product design. We’re excited about the merging of these two superpowers to benefit young makers.”
Artisan’s Asylum, a 40,000 square feet makerspace, provides public access to their environment along with the materials and instruction needed to advance innovative and entrepreneurial activity. They’re dedicated to the teaching, learning, and practice of design and fabrication; sharing tools and equipment; and offering affordable classes and flexible memberships to their community. Empow Studios has a long history of empowering students to problem-solve by designing, building, and coding. A sense of play drives each of their learning experiences to produce meaningful activities for youth while they develop skills in digital, virtual, and robotic environments. But emerging tech is at the very core of these programs and will be well-represented at the AA facility: Adafruit technology, micro-controllers, CAD and SketchUp design programs, CNC machinery, and Makerpipe are all essential tools that will be employed throughout the sessions.
The organizations’ hope is that the synergy between their shared mission and goals in transformational learning illuminates unique and diverse ways for students to perceive, communicate, and synthesize information.
About Empow Studios: With 20+ camp locations, two studios, and 150+ educational partners, Empow Studios serves as the top provider of STEM enrichment in Massachusetts, with a mission to make STEM learning accessible to all. Empow Studios is where kids, teens, and adults can learn to design, build, and code.
