The Invention Center is a new impressive addition to the facilities at ISB. Boasting new computers, 3D printers and even a laser cutter, the new workshop area for ISB inventors and craftspeople has never looked more promising.
Mr. Jerry Hochberg, ISB’s resident Industrial Design expert says the new machines are “the very best I’ve seen in the school.”
“We made a center that would allow a lot of people to experience it,” says IB Coordinator Phil Rogers, “to make more people with different skills and ages to experience design thinking.”
However, it seems that the new center has bigger plans than to just serve the ISB student community. According to IB Design instructor Mr. Brian Jackson, “a greater vision is that the space is used to help students create solutions for people in the greater community we belong to in Thailand.”
It seems that not only will the new center host a variety of new classes, such as Robotics, Industrial Design and Jewelry, but also eventually be open to the greater ISB community for parents and students to use for their own projects.
As of now, the Invention Center is purely for design science; students’ invention process is aided with workshop tools as well as teachers to make their own inventions come to life. While the previous workshop center that we all loved last year held a similar purpose, all users of the lab would agree that the new features that the Invention Center holds augments the inventing process for all students. Mr. Hochberg says that the new design center is meant to “expand the program of Industrial Design and design thinking.”
As for the future of the ISB Invention Center, it seems that this is only stage one of a very promising project. According to Mr. Rogers, eventually they hope to not only expand the number of tools available for design and construction, but also add new ways for ISB members to express their creativity.
Mr. Hochberg says that students “will be more sensitive to design thinking”, and highlighted especially the wide variety of materials and tools available to students. Eventually the Invention Center will hold kitchens as well as areas for more industrial design, so that the ISB community can be totally prepared for whatever path they choose.
By Cole Whiteley (12) and Robbie Melhorn (12)
