Want to design something on a 3D printer, laser-cut your own project, or make T-shirts for a class or club? With MVS’s new Innovation Suite now open, Associate Director of Innovation Dr. Shirley is ready to help students and teachers turn their ideas into real projects. Most importantly, students do not have to be enrolled in an innovation class to use the space.
The Innovation Suite is made up of two main spaces: the Design Lab and the Fabrication Lab. The Design Lab contains tools for fabrication, electronics, and design. This includes 3D printers, a Glowforge laser cutter, Cricut machines, heat presses for sublimation printing, soldering equipment, and electronics supplies. The Fabrication Lab serves as the wood shop and home for larger tools. Although the two spaces have different purposes, they are connected, and Dr. Shirley manages both.
Students and teachers can bring Dr. Shirley individual ideas even if they are not part of a class project. It can begin with something as simple as stopping by or emailing her. From there, she can help you determine what tools, materials and time are needed. Certain tools may require training, and students must be supervised while using the spaces. The rooms will also remain locked when an authorized supervising adult is not present.
Rather than telling students exactly what they are going to build, she wants them to learn how to approach a problem, choose the tools they need, and create their own solution. That can be seen in her elective “Intro to Innovation,” where students learn how to use different tools as they need them and then apply those skills to problems and projects. In the future, she wants to offer other electives that go deeper into areas such as woodworking, with the assumption that students already understand the basic tools.
The Innovation Suite can also support projects in other MVS classes and programs. She already worked with Ms. Freeze on wooden flower presses for the “From Soil to Society” elective, where students had the chance to use the drill press. The end goal for both rooms is to become a resource for regular classes, Immersions, and students with projects of their own.
Her own background combines science, teaching and technology. She has two master’s degrees, a doctorate, and taught science at both the high school and college levels. Over time, she increasingly incorporated programming, electronics, engineering and 3D printing into her teaching. Originally from New England, she moved often before coming to Dayton a few years ago. After reading the MVS job description for Associate Director of Innovation, which closely matched her interests, she knew she wanted to apply.
Outside of school, her interests range from electronics and coding to knitting, sewing, and puzzles. She describes herself as someone who loves to learn, and one of her favorite parts of innovation is that there is always something new—a new tool, project, approach, or question to explore.
Looking ahead, she hopes that innovation can become increasingly connected across different grade levels and classes at MVS rather than remaining limited to the Upper School. Skills could build over time across divisions, like how students progressively develop music skills at MVS, albeit on a smaller scale.
If you have something you want to build, design or experiment with, feel free to reach out to her. As she put it, her goal is simple: “Helping students and teachers make cool stuff.”
