Week 7 Blog 1

Bonus internship hours that don’t really count for anything but RESPECT: 14 hours. One day. That’s right. It was the day of the H3 photoshoot.

It was an overcast morning. I arrived at the office of OLSON LEWIS + Architects at approximately 6:35 AM. I was five minutes late. No matter, as Michelle and Teri were just starting to pack up their cars with the props. I helped then I joined Michelle in her car. Teri followed in a truck. We were off.

After unloading the props and parking the cars, we were ready to go up to H3 Biomedicine. We had brought two 3-drawer storage carts, two bags, a bowl of limes, one large painting, one medium painting, and one small painting. The elevators had a timer that, once surpassed after about 30 seconds, the door closed and it wasn’t stopping. We had to take two trips up the elevator with our props. The wheels on the storage carts kept falling off. I got caught between the closing doors of the elevator but I shimmied out at the last second. That was scary. I wasn’t kidding when I said the doors close and don’t stop.

We were a couple of minutes earlier than the photographers. Once they arrived, I was introduced to them—Shelly and Jay of Shelly Harrison Photography. Throughout the day, I learned that they were a great team together. Jay managed most of the technical elements of photography like setting up lights, flashes, and moving furniture. They shoot plenty of biomedicine offices together so they are used to setting up scenes.

Overall, it was a very tiring day. I ran around, helping move furniture or place props. I even stepped in as a model in a few of the photographs.  There was a lot of standing and watching. I was tired on my feet. But, Shelly and Jay were very professional and gracious, and gaining this experience was so fulfilling! Afterwards, Michelle, Teri, and I met Kelly and Michelle’s husband for dinner (since we heard the flooring showcase party was very lame). It was a great day.

Week 6 Blog 1

Technically, after fulfilling my sixth week of interning, this is my last day of my internship. But really I am adding on another fun-filled fieldtrip next Tuesday with OLSON LEWIS + Architects so I can attend a photoshoot at H3 Biomedicine Inc.! Michelle warned me that it was going to be a long day, but I am really looking forward to spending the day with her, the photographers, and Teri. Teri works the front desk of OL+ and also handles marketing. This will be the first photoshoot she has helped with! Michelle showed us OL+’s portfolio of past biomedicine photoshoots and they look amazing. Michelle has usually had to bring in items from her own home to use as “props” and decorations in the photoshoot.  This time I suggested that I bring in a few large artworks that I own in my house. Teri, Michelle and I continued planning for the photoshoot by printing out some preliminary shots of H3 (as in, photos taken as-is and in-action). That helped Terri and Michelle decide which locations and angles they should take pictures of. They also used those pictures to help them choose where they would set props, and what they would like there. They considered putting people into the shots a few times as well, so they planned ahead for the ‘model’ (the model would be whoever is working at the time and agrees to be in the photo) locations as well.

After planning for the photoshoot and getting some other work done, Michelle, Kelly, and I went out to lunch. They wanted to give me a last day lunch—as if I’m not offered enough free food at OL+! We walked to that new Mexican restaurant in downtown Manchester, La Casa de Luis. The food was pretty good, and I had such a fun time with Michelle and Kelly. They are hilarious!

I can’t wait for the photoshoot next week. Even though Kelly isn’t able to join us for it, I will see her later that night for a flooring showcase party. Woot woot.

Research Paper Draft: STEAM Disciplines in Education Create Functional Citizens and Innovative Workers

Tiffany Vander Laan                                                                                                Due May 9, 2013

SCORE Research Paper Draft

STEAM Disciplines in Education Create Functional Citizens and Innovative Workers

The STEAM discipline of education engages students in Science and Technology interpreted through the Engineering and the Arts that is all based in Mathematical elements.¹ In contrast to the preceding STEM disciple, the addition of arts nurtures the development of creativity in children. Arts provide a vital piece to the educational puzzle because it promotes a more holistic focus to the student’s development, not just the cognitive, process-oriented thinker.² The framework of the STEAM program promotes an engaging, hands-on and reality-based environment for students. It is customizable to individual teaching and learning styles. STEAM provides multidisciplinary-oriented practices to the fixed realm of education with substantiated, economical and sociologically adaptable framework for children’s education that caters to developing students into functional citizens.¹

In view of STEAM education, substantiated results show that STEAM occupations are high-paying, with most having mean wages significantly above the U.S. average. The STEAM occupation group is defined as consisting of about one hundred occupations of the technical field in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics that make up about 6 percent of U.S. employment— nearly 8 million jobs.³ Data from the Occupational Employment Statistics program and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show the employment and demand of occupations in line with STEAM.^{3, 10} Furthermore, as schools recognize STEAM studies, the existing gender gap present in the country of students in science, technology, engineering and math fields has decreased.¹¹ Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut has the best female representation of senior students in STEM-related fields than are represented in other colleges and universities nationwide. Since the last six years, the percentage of female STEM majors at Yale has hovered between 39 and 46 percent, which is slightly above the national average. The STEM majors with a female majority are biology and environmental engineering. In Yale’s 2013 graduating class, 43 percent of STEM majors were female, as compared to 38 percent nationally.  The result of the average STEM job wage to non-STEM job wage is about 33% higher paying though, which lands considerably higher than the STEM premium for men. As a result, the gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs that in non-STEM jobs.¹³ The following chart provided by the United States Department of Commerce Economic and Statistics Administration in a published article called “Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation” shows how hourly earnings differ by gender and occupation:

In 2009, women filled less than 25 percent of STEM jobs in the U.S. economy, according to a 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Commerce.¹³ The report also noted that women have a “disproportionately low share of STEM undergraduate degrees, particularly in engineering,” but Yale’s School of Engineering and Applied Science countered that trend last year, when 38 percent of its graduates were women — more than double the national average for female engineering graduates.^{12, 13} But even though the ratio of male to female STEM majors is evening out at Yale, students say that a noticeable divide remains in post-graduation career opportunities for men and women in the sciences.¹¹ Possible factors that may have been contributing to the discrepancy of women and men in STEM jobs include a lack of female role models in education, gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields of work.¹⁴ See the following charts for representation of gender shares in STEM fields of occupation versus the STEM degree field shares by gender:

            The disparity between female representation in STEM jobs and non-STEM jobs provides evidence of the need to encourage and support women in STEM. Even though plenty of women have the means to achieve a STEM degree, they are “less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM occupation; they are more likely to work in education or healthcare.” ¹²

The next graph displays the share of male and female workers in STEM jobs by the highest educational degree earned:

It is important that STEAM education is available to children as it can increase student engagement, improve academic achievement, and ease the transition to postsecondary education and employment.⁴ Making fields of STEAM available to children would improve the equality of representation and wages between men and women.

STEAM education is necessary for the United States’ economic future. We need STEAM-related talent to compete globally in a world of work that looks for employees with an educational background in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The 21^st century world is becoming increasingly dependent on accessibility of technology and knowledge of principles that are emphasized in STEAM. In a press release from the United States Department of Commerce, the news commerce department published the following statistics about the benefits of STEM jobs¹²:

A STEM education is a pathway to prosperity – not just for you as an individual but for America as a whole,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “We need you in our classrooms, labs and key government agencies to help solve our biggest challenges, and that’s why we are investing heavily to promote STEM education.”

Meanwhile, STEM workers are also less likely to experience joblessness.

“This report profiles the fast-growing, productive STEM workforce and illustrates how we can win the future by encouraging the pursuit of 21st century jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “STEM jobs are essential to a competitive, innovative and technologically advanced U.S. economy.”

President Obama has made science, technology, engineering and math education a key priority and has laid out an ambitious goal to move American students from the middle of the pack to the top of the pack internationally in science and math achievement over the next decade. Initiatives like Race to the Top and the “Educate to Innovate” campaign demonstrate the administration’s commitment to making sure Americans get the science and technology skills they need to fill the jobs of the future.

Sir Ken Robinson argues that economies do not get the most of its employees because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers.⁵ For the United States to remain the global innovation leader, we must make the most of all of the potential STEAM talent this country has to offer.

STEAM education has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child. It prepares students with capacity to interpret and solve problems with the knowledge of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Practicing creativity can promote individualism, self-expression, problem-solving, and improve overall learning and memory skills.² The Derby School in Hingham, Massachusetts constructs its “Innovation Center” with the intent of self-service STEAM activity: the area is flexible and easy to use for its K-8 students. Local senior interior designer of OLSON LEWIS + Architects, Michelle Brooks, says that the Innovation Center project stemmed from a simple renovation plan for Derby Aademy’s technology lab.⁸ When principal architect of OLSON LEWIS + Architects Chris Doktor suggested creating a space that emphasized the principles of STEAM with a versatile and collaborative space, the team took on a fast-track approach of an idea that is becoming more popular in schools across the country. For instance the Nueva School in Hillsorough, California is a leading pioneer in teaching design thinking and design engineering to students in grades preK-8 through their nationally recognized independent school.¹⁵ For the Innovation Lab at Derby Academy, Brooks and Doktor collaborated with colleagues to design the new building with important aspects of flexibility and mobility of use.  The floor plan on the following page shows how architects designed the space of the Innovation Lab to allow plenty of room and storage, promoting flexible uses of the space as a classroom, lab, presentation area, theatre, or function hall:

Enhancing display space by using the functionality of the walls to place magnetic white boards and tack boards for presentation of ideas and works was one of the ways Brooks supported the STEAM principle to engage students in a hands-on and reality-based environment.⁸ The operative use of STEAM in an educational environment can be dependent on the space and user-friendliness of its activities: spatial design is the “body language” of an organization.⁷ The culture of STEAM is “something to be drawn to in educational classroom settings and in more professional workspaces” according to Brooks.⁸ For that reason, creation of environments that are stimulating and interesting are significant to the integration of STEAM disciplines in schools as flexibility and a sense of comfort and support for creative thoughts is an aid to producing innovative thinking.

It is clear that the STEAM discipline improves the efficiency of education by engaging students in curriculum adapted for 21^st century values in economy and sociology. Promoting science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics in school encourages well-rounded, functional citizens of society. Involvement in STEAM education supports a structure of learning that could level the unemployment gap and the gender gap in work fields represented by STEAM degrees. STEAM education gives students the necessary background in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to be competent in the work force and be the problem-solvers of our future. Underway at the Derby School, the STEAM disciplines should extend to other organizations of education to benefit the students and employees of the future.

Annotated Bibliography

Information and sources were found from the following resources:

¹ Yakman, Georgette. "STEAM: A Framework for Teaching Across the Disciplines." STEAM: A Framework for Teaching Across the Disciplines. STEAM Education, n.d. Web.

²Moore, Kimberly S. "Why Settle for STEM? Let's Promote STEAM Disciplines." Web log post. Psychology Today. N.p., 25 June 2012. Web.

³Jones, John, and Audrey Watson. "Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations: a visual essay." Monthly Labor Review. (2011): 3 . Print.

⁴Stone, James. College and Career Ready in the 21st Century: Making High School Matter. New York: Teachers College Press, 2012. Print.

⁵Robinson, Sir Ken, "Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity." Lecture. 2006. Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity. TED Talk, June 2006. Web.

⁶"Successful K-12 STEM Education Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics." STEM Reports (2011): National Academy of Sciences. Scholarly article accessed from web. <http://www.stemreports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/NRC_STEM_2.pdf>.

⁷Doorley, Scott, and Scott Witthoft. Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.

⁸Interview with Michele Brooks of OLSON LEWIS + Architects, Manchester, May. 9 May, 2013. 12:30 PM.

⁹(Potential in future)Interviews Derby School representative for construction of the Innovation Center, April-May 2013.

¹⁰ United States. United States Department of Labor. Division of Occupational Employment Statistics, PSB Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20212-0001. Occupational Employment Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; for Sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., Government databse. <http://www.bls.gov/oes/>.

¹¹ Wang, Clinton. "Menu." Yale Daily News. Yale University, 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 09 May 2013.

¹² Duncan, Arne. "New Commerce Department Report Shows Fast-Growing STEM Jobs Offer Higher Pay, Lower Unemployment." The United States Department of Commerce, 14 July 2011. Web. 09 May 2013.

¹³ Doms, Mark. "Women in STEM: An Opportunity and An Imperative." The United States Department of Commerce, 3 Aug. 2011. Web.

¹⁴ Beede, David, Tiffany Julian, David Langdon, George McKittrick, Beehika Khan, and Mark Doms. "Economics and Statistics Administration." Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation. U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, 3 August 2011. Web.

¹⁵ "The Nueva School - Innovation Lab." The Nueva School - Innovation Lab. The Nueva School, 2013. Web.

Week 5 Blog 1

This morning Michelle, Kelly, and I drove into Boston to go to the Union Office Interiors Showroom. We were meeting Mazen from Aramco Services (the client) and Tom and Jean Ann who are account executives from Union Office Interiors. A few weeks ago we had all met at the Union Office Interiors showroom that is in Wilmington. There, they had created a mock-up of an office proposed to be in the Boston Research Center so Mazen and Abdullah (another rep. from Aramco) could get a real feel for their deal. Now, at their Boston showroom, Tom and Jean  Ann were presenting a collection of swivel (wheely, as I would call them) chairs for Mazen (Abdullah could not make it, unfortunately) to choose for conference chair seating and the task chairs. The conference chairs have got to be a little classier than the task chairs that employees sit on at their tasks. Usually, classier means a higher back. But there’s also less controls on a conference chair because you don’t want the attendees to be on different height levels. The task chairs get all the fun—up or down,  recline, armrest adjustments. All those gizmos.

To their dismay, Mazen wasn’t quite fond of any of these chairs. Part of our plan anyways, we went to the Boston Design Center to visit a showroom distributing the brand of furniture by Gunlocke. There, the furniture was more in a mock-up style than chairs-lining-the-wall. He sat in chairs, we sat in chairs, he touched the fabrics, we touched the fabrics. It was all good fun. Next, we went to another showroom in the Boston Design Center. I don’t remember the name but the furniture wasn’t particularly striking to Mazen or me. And they were the type to have their chairs lining the wall. They were in some cool, stacking, open cubes but I don’t know. I wasn’t dazzled. Finally, we were back in the car for one last chair-testing stop.  Long story about sitting in chairs short, Mazen found a task chair he liked the best at our final stop.

Week 4 Blog 3

Today Michelle and I went into Cambridge to see the construction of the Boston Research Center and attend a construction meeting. We went up to the fourth (if I remember correctly) floor of 400 Technology Square and met with the construction leader, Mike, in the “office” and “break” room—Quotations because it is really just a part of the whole construction that they instigated as their offices until they have to put the floor and walls into that room for later use by Aramco Services. As I looked on, Mike and Michelle reviewed the floor plan and he asked her questions about deadlines, etc. Then we had to go down a floor so we could measure a room that had some measurement discrepancy for wall paneling that’s supposed to fit in perfectly. We actually spent a long time measuring in there. I didn’t really understand the situation perfectly, but I tried my best to help them. Then Randy Lewis, one of the principal architects of OLSON LEWIS + Architects, walked in to help us. Next we walked up a floor to take measurements of a wall. Hm, yeah… I just kinda looked on.

Then it was about time we got down to the construction meeting. We exited the building just to walk a couple hundred feet to the offices of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. who Aramco services leased their building from. Michelle, Randy, Mike, and I sat in the conference room with six other men who represented Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., the millworkers, and Aramco Services. Mazen is the name of the man representing Aramco Services. He basically has the largest say about the decisions of design and deadline that his company wants. He will play an important role later when Michelle, Kelly, and I spend the day with him looking at chairs next week!

Week 4 Blog 2

Today, I was back again at Shore Country Day School, this time driving alone after attending my morning AP class. I attended a meeting in their fancy building that I forget the name of. Fancy enough that there were white, double staircase. Fancy enough that I had to check in with the secretary and write down who I am meeting in their office. Fancy people. Indeed there were fancy offices.

I stepped in on the meeting with Kelly, on behalf of interior design, Chris Doktor, one of the principal architects at OLSON LEWIS + Architects, and two women who have some high status to be in charge of the design decision-making for the new Arts Center. They welcomed me and Kelly passed me a notepad and pen to take notes of any changes or preferences that are pronounced in this meeting.

The topic of this meeting had to do with their Donor Wall and the Innovation Lab in the Arts Center. The Donor Wall is to be placed on the walls outside of the auditorium besides the staircase. It showcases the names of donors that contributed to the construction of the new Arts Center. Kelly helped come up with a design that involved light-up boxes that attach to a magnetic wall. They can be interchanged freely and can have graphics printed on them. Kelly chose a blue world map to be the background to the Donor Wall. Then, donor names are printed onto the boxes, with bolder names representing bigger amounts of donations. The two supervising women really liked Kelly’s idea.

Next, Kelly proposed a design for the hallway leading to the Innovation Lab. There will be a hollow column with a light inside of it to illuminate the title “Innovation Lab” running sideways on one side. On this, too, there will be names of donors who contributed to the Innovation Lab. The supervisors liked the idea and asked her to make a few different options for how the placement of the “Innovation Lab” can be placed on the column—like whether they were prefer the words to be cut through the column or not (which would prevent rascally children from dropping things into the column).

After the meeting ended, I decided to go to Pinkberry for grapefruit froyo that I could bring back to the office to eat. Mm.

Week 4 Blog 1

Free. Food.

The office tries to organize a “Lunch and Learn” every Monday for all the employees to join with the purpose of incorporating a lil’ fun in their busy workdays. This Monday, a representative from a tile company came in to show an hour-long presentation on their new products. And he also brought in Thai food for everyone. Mmm!! There was pad thai, some chicken and pineapple and veggies in some spicy Thai sauce, rice, and veggie pancakes. It was so good. That food made me almost immediately burpy though… I don’t know why. (Celery makes me burp too. What’s in those foods?!)

Unfortunately, I could not stick around for the presentation because I had to attend my AP psychology class. Bummer. At least I could enjoy the lunch and thank the sales rep. before I had to leave.

I also have to miss next week’s Lunch and Learn to take the AP psychology exam. When I realized this conflict and emailed my coworker Kelly that I actually could not come to the meeting, she replied “Naaaaaaaaaaaoooooooohhh =(“

I feel the same way, Kelly. I love to lunch. I love to learn. I look forward to Lunching and Learning in the upcoming Mondays before my internship ends. I think the instigation of that weekly event is great for any office, especially for these hard-working architects and interior designers. It’s a great break for the workers while the seeing the presentation of new products can benefit all of them in their work in some ways.

Week 3 Blog 3

So, a 250-word reflection of my internship doesn’t exactly have to describe what I’m doing while I’m interning, right? What about the friendly relationships I have made, and the lunch I eat?

Everybody at OLSON LEWIS + Architects is incredibly friendly. They have all been welcoming and helpful to me. And knowing their work, they are all intelligent and innovative designers! But what I really want to talk about is one thing…

Chipotle.

Yes, it has become a routine to eat at Chipotle at least once a week with my coworker, Kelly. It’s not even an intentional routine. We just happen to be out on the road anyway, and we both love Mexican food. The first time we stopped at Chipotle was after the meeting at Cubist. Kelly offered to pay for my chicken burrito bowl. How sweet! Then we went back to the office and ate our burrito bowls outside on a beautiful day. Awww. The second time we stopped at Chipotle, I paid for both of our burrito bowls. We also ran into one of my best friends, Harriet, at Chipotle which was such a delightful surprise. Another time, Kelly and I had Michelle (my SCORE supervisor) along with us at the Chipotle on Route 1. Good times. And always fulfilling… and filling. It’s been really fun to be able to be comfortable enough with the adults at my internship to go out for lunch. Since I’ve spent a lot of time with Kelly and Michelle, I can say I will miss them the most—they are both so funny and cheerful! Not to mention that they are great role models and they always fill me in on information and advice that has to do with their work and profession.

Week 3 Blog 2

Finish binder: another exciting part of my days at OLSON LEWIS + Architects! The purpose of a finish binder is to keep track of all the finishes they decided to use on a project (that includes what paint colors, flooring, fabrics, all that). OL+ has one binder for themselves and a second copy for the client. Each sheet of paper in the finish binder lists a code that coordinates with where the code is on the architect’s floor plan (like EP-1 for Epoxy Flooring). Alongside the code is the respective description including details like the brand name, type, and color. Next, there is a sample for each item. That’s where the real handy effort takes place. And I do it all. That means I retrieve the original fabric, tile, flooring, or paint sample sheet and cut it into a 4x4 square. Cutting is done with scissors or an X-acto knife. It can be harder than it sounds—the carpets are especially difficult to cut through with just an X-acto knife!!  After, I’ll mount the sample next to its rightful label using sticky velcro, or tape if it’s something as simple as a paint color sample. We want to use velcro because it allows us to take off the sample for closer examination (I think… I mean, that’s a pretty obvious assumption that I can make at the least).

Overall, finishing a finish binder can be time consuming and messy. I am surprised I never had an accident with the X-acto knife, even with the carpet!

Week 3 Blog 1

Ok, so it’s about time I explain the resource library at OLSON LEWIS + Architects. I am usually sent there to put samples of furniture and fabrics back into their respective binders. Basically, the resource library is just what it sounds like… but much, much more! I’ll describe it in a top-down processing method, starting with the big things:

The resource library is in a bright corner of the room next to Art Dioli (principal architect) and Seth (architect, who also loves country music…). The significance of that location is that I have to spend some time looking for what I need in the resource library, all while there is an awkward tension of eye contact and presence while they are working on something else (but should I say hi?) as I am scooting binders around or kneeling on the floor.

The resource library is categorized by a couple of groups including furniture, fabrics, flooring, and wallcoverings. When sales representatives come in to the office, that’s where they go to update their company’s binders. The binders are pretty heavy. Some are hard to open or close. But at least they are alphabetically ordered. The furniture binders take up the most room with 3 shelves that are about 20 feet long, and they are updated the most often. The fabric binder shelves are below that—different fabrics are placed in different binders by its company. For example, upholstery is a big one, as is Crypton fabrics which is an engineered textile that “meets or exceeds all of the following heavy duty requirements: stain resistance, water resistance, abrasion, tearing strength, breaking strength, seam slippage, flammability, and resistance to fungal and bacterial growth” (cryptonfabric.com). Kelly once showed me the Crypton test in which she poured water right onto the fabric. Instead of soaking in, the water stayed on top of the Crypton and easily wiped off with no residue. Crypton fabric is ideal for temporary outdoor furniture as well as indoor spaces that get a lot of people-traffic, such as biotech facilities, institutional buildings, or reception areas since Crypton is easy to manage. Anyways the fabric swatches are set up in single pages showing real samples and all its colorways. The flooring essentially has the same set up, as does wallcovering.

Week 2 Blog 3

After working in the OL+ office, I got to join in on a little field trip with Kelly and Stephen. At 4, we headed over to Shore Country Day School in Beverly to check out the construction of their new arts center and theatre. School was out so parking was easy without the students’ parents and most teachers. We met with Tom Blaser, the account executive from Union Office Interiors. Union Office Interiors is a furniture distributor that Shore Country Day School chose to furnish the Arts Center. Distributors are chosen from a process that the interior designers administer (at least in the case of OL+):  they give each distributor a spreadsheet of what’s needed (eg. Office: 1 task chair, 3 guest chairs, 2 cabinets, etc) and then the distributor returns the spreadsheet with the prices from what they can offer from their line of furniture. Usually, the distributor that comes up with the cheapest total price of furniture is chosen.

Back to Shore Country Day—We got our hard hats on and walked onto the construction site that is fenced in. With most of the framework done, everything was all wood and metal still. With the floor plan and tape measurer on our hands, we went to take measurements to make sure it matched the floor that OL+ architects made, because that will determine how the furniture will fit. We also met with Bobbi Whiting who is representing Shore Country’s Day decision-making for the new building. We talked with her about our measurements and what was different from the floor plan to reality.

Week 2 Blog 2

Today Kelly and I went to Cubist Pharmaceuticals to complete the “Punch List.” That means that we take the floor plan that OLSON LEWIS + Architects have proposed for Cubist’s second floor renovation, a notepad, two red pens, and a roll of blue tape and walk around the whole area. We survey each room and hallway for changes that should be made so we can let the construction team know. Kelly made the marks on the floor plan, I took the notes on paper, and we helped each other stick pieces of blue tape to the specific area that needed repair or attention. With the opening day for the offices coming up in a few weeks, it’s important that everything is in order for the move-in.

The space of this renovation is being used mainly for offices. There are cubicles as well as private offices. There are conference rooms and coffee and snack stations as well. Kelly and I had to see it all, looking all around to check for any errors. Linda had warned us that are necks would hurt by the end of the day. Indeed, there is a lot of looking up and looking down to check the ceiling and carpet corners respectively. Most of our notes had to do with paint scuffs on the wall (from the furniture being moved in, or by uneven painting). Some ceiling lights still had plastic on them and others didn’t turn on. In a few offices there were broken blinds that would have to be replaced. Fire extinguishers weren’t in place yet and in one instance the case still needed a label and glass to be inserted.
When we were halfway through the punch list, Kelly and I attended the construction meeting. We walked back to the second floor and finished the rest of the punch list. Long day.

Week 2 Blog 1

Some pretty serious organization tasks are how I spend most of the time at the office. OLSON LEWIS + Architects are currently working on a project for the new research center in Boston for Saudi Aramco services. Saudi Aramco is a Saudi Arabian national oil and natural gas company. According to its page on Wikipedia, Saudi Aramco's value has been estimated at up to US$10 trillion in the Financial Times, making it the world's most valuable company. Their United States headquarters is in Houston, Texas. They are branching out to Boston (actually technically, Cambridge) for two floors (in total 33,000 square feet) of a research building on 400 Technology Square that’s been leased from Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.  There a bunch of biotech buildings that have been built in this Technology Square over the past couple of years. Even H3 Biomedicine, Inc., another biotech project that was designed by OL+, is just a block away at 300 Technology Square.

Anyway, as the interior designers of OL+ are working with representatives of Aramco who have come from the Houston HQ, I have been helping them organize materials for presentation. I have been given loads of furniture ‘brochures’ (pages from a furniture manufacturer’s binder that details each item in their line) and I have to go on the computer to create a display page of them with brand, name, estimated price, and a photo. I have to make sure to print it on the fancy presentation paper as well. Get it right. Later, they will present these display pages of furniture like conference chair options, side chair options, guest chair options, desk options, side table options, lighting options, et cetera to the representatives. 

Week 1 Blog 3

At the offices of OLSON LEWIS + Architects, presentations are pretty frequent for the interior designers. Sales representatives come to present new items in their line whether it is furniture styles, furniture upholstery, wall coverings, drapery, or tiles, just to name a few. OL+ works on a lot of biotech and institutional buildings so they are looking for items that are easy to use and clean and styles that are comfortable and modern. According to the work they do, they try to avoid interior design that looks too much like “hospitality.” That is to say that they don’t want the go-to nurse-home sort of feel; they want a style that’s interesting and engaging.

The sale representatives want to be able to ‘sell’ their products to the interior designers, so presentation is important. If it’s upholstery, the sales rep. will bring plenty of samples. If there’s one thing I’ve learned already, it is that interior designers love to touch. You just have got to feel every sample of upholstery. Feel it. Breathe it. Love it. That’s an over exaggeration but the emphasis is pretty accurate… I mean, for the projects the OL+ interior designers do anyways, interior designers are setting up spaces for a community. Whether it’s for schoolchildren or working professionals like scientists or office workers in cubicles, the choices interior designers make for furniture and style should be comfortable for the users. Typically the most crucial decision is in the seating options. I think we could use some more comfortable seats in our school…

Another way that a sale rep. can ‘sugar up’ their clients is with free food. Today our sale rep. bought us lunch from Prides. I ordered a salad. It tasted great, but what tasted better is the triumph of an enjoyable internship with free food.

Week 1 Blog 2

While I was working in the office today, my coworker Kelly invited me to come to the Boston Design Center with her and Stephen for a showroom opening party. Porcelanosa, a Spanish ceramics and tiling company, was hosting a party in their new showroom with music, food, and drinks.

After frisbee practice that afternoon, I changed into a dress and heels (gotta get fancy for a night on the town) and then I met with Kelly and Stephen back at the office. By the time we got to the Boston Design Center it started to rain. We walked into the entrance and greeted the man at the front desk. Asking where the Porcelanosa opening party was, he instructed us to go to the fourth four. Kelly was pretty positive that her invitation said the party was in their showroom on the sixth floor, but we followed directions to the fourth floor anyway.

Nevertheless, there was a party on the fourth floor. We walked into the showroom and signed in at their front desk as other people were doing. “Where are you guys from?” asked the woman behind the front desk
“Olson Lewis and Architects,” replied Kelly. The woman looked at her with w puzzled look “We were invited by Crassula?”

“Oh… oh yeah. Crassula. She’s new, right?” replied the woman. Kelly said yes. Indeed, Crassula was a new employee of Porcelanosa. Kelly knew her because she used to work at OL+.

So, we put our jackets away and headed to the food. Stephen and Kelley got free drinks from the bar, while I, the only underage attendee, had to ask for water with lemon. We got some food on our plates—hummus and crackers, grapes, various meats… weirdly enough, none of this food was Spanish as the invitation described it would be. We three were getting suspicious that there weren’t any recognizable designers there, or any ceramics and tiling to be seen. That’s when we realized the big poster boards in the center of the room: “In Loving Memory of…”

We walked into a memorial service. We ate their food.

Even after discovering this, Kelly and Stephen had one more plate of food and one more drink. Then we headed to the sixth floor. Alas, the real Porcelanosa party was bumpin’ and significantly less somber. We enjoyed some talkative company, their impressive showroom, and more food—I ate octopus for the first time! It was quite the memorable night.

Week 1 Blog 1

While I spent my first day on the job meeting the staff of OLSON LEWIS + Architects and fulfilling some quick organization work in the office, on the second day, I joined a trip to Cubist Pharmaceuticals in Lexington, MA. Cubist Pharmaceuticals “is a bio-pharmaceutical company focused on the research, commercialization and creation of pharmaceutical products that address unmet medical needs in the acute care environment” (cubist.com). The architects and interior designer of OL+ had designed their building in the past and at this time they were helping renovate their second floor of offices.

After hitching a ride with one of the interior designers, Kelly, we met at Cubist with Linda (the project manager designer) and Stephen (an interior design intern who’s pursuing his master’s degree). Walking through the patio to the entrance into the café (cleverly named the Cubistro), we four headed towards the second floor. The architecture, paint, carpeting, ceiling, and lights were all in place, and the cubicles were nearly all constructed. Linda led us through the large space as she explained how we would accomplish the “punch list” and attend the construction meeting in the next week. After speaking with the contractor, we sat down at the Cubistro. Kelly had told me that this was one of her first projects that she was assigned to at OL+ and how satisfying it is to see her work pay off in front of her eyes—the Cubistro had an engaging appearance, flexibility, and plenty of various seating areas. My favorite part of the Cubistro was the bowls of apples, pears, and oranges which each had place cards stating “Complimentary Hand Fruit.” This phrase truly spoke to my soul. Looking forward to being back at Cubist Pharmaceuticals!

Tiffany Vander Laan's Outline

Tiffany Vander Laan                                                                   Due March 15, 2013

SCORE Research Paper Outline

I.                   Introduction: The STEAM discipline of education engages students in Science and Technology interpreted through the Engineering and the Arts that is all based in Mathematical elements. ¹

a)      In contrast to the preceding STEM disciple, the addition of arts nurtures the development of creativity in children (individualism, problem-solving, etc²).

b)      The framework of this program promotes an engaging, hands-on and reality-based environment for students.

c)      It is customizable to individual teaching and learning styles.

Thesis: STEAM provides multidisciplinary-oriented practices to the fixed realm of education with substantiated, economical and sociologically adaptable framework for children’s education that caters to developing students into functional citizens.¹

II.                In view of STEAM education, substantiated results show that STEAM occupations are high-paying occupations, with most having mean wages significantly above the U.S. average.

a)      The STEAM occupation group is defined as consisting of about one hundred occupations of  the technical field in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics that make up about 6 percent of U.S. employment— nearly 8 million jobs.³

b)      Data from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show the employment and demand of occupations in line with STEAM.^{3, 10}

c)      Thus, it is important that STEAM education is available to children as it can increase student engagement, improve academic achievement, and ease the transition to postsecondary education and employment.⁴

III.             STEAM education is necessary for the United States’ economic future.

a)      We need STEAM-related talent to compete globally in a world of work that looks for employees with an educational background in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

b)      The 21^st century world is becoming increasingly dependent on accessibility of technology and knowledge of STEAM principles.

c)      For the United States to remain the global innovation leader, we must make the most of all of the potential STEAM talent this country has to offer.

d)     Sir Ken Robinson argues that economies do not get the most of its employees because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers.⁵

IV.             STEAM education has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child.

a)      It prepares students with capacity to interpret and solve problems with the knowledge of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.

b)      The functionality of STEAM in an educational environment can be dependent on the space and user-friendliness of its activities: spatial design is the “body language”⁷ of an organization.

c)      The Derby School in Hingham, MA constructs its “Innovation Center” with the intent of self-service STEAM activity: the area is flexible and easy to use for its K-8 students.^{8, 9}

V.                Conclusion: It is very clear that the STEAM discipline improves the efficiency of education by engaging students in curriculum adapted for 21^st century values in economy and sociology.

a)      Promoting science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics in school encourages well-rounded, functional citizens of society.

b)      Involvement in STEAM education supports a structure of learning that could level the unemployment gap.

c)      STEAM education gives students the necessary background in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to be competent in the work force and be the problem-solvers of our future.

d)     Underway at the Derby School, the STEAM disciplines should extend to other organizations of education to benefit the students and employees of the future.

Annotated Bibliography

Information and sources were found from the following resources:

¹ Yakman, Georgette. "STEAM: A Framework for Teaching Across the Disciplines." STEAM: A Framework for Teaching Across the Disciplines. STEAM Education, n.d. Web.

²Moore, Kimberly S. "Why Settle for STEM? Let's Promote STEAM Disciplines." Web log post. Psychology Today. N.p., 25 June 2012. Web.

³Jones, John, and Audrey Watson. "Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations: a visual essay." Monthly Labor Review. (2011): 3 . Print.

⁴Stone, James. College and Career Ready in the 21st Century: Making High School Matter. New York: Teachers College Press, 2012. Print.

⁵Robinson, Sir Ken, "Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity." Lecture. 2006. Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity. TED Talk, June 2006. Web.

⁶"Successful K-12 STEM Education Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics." STEM Reports (2011): National Academy of Sciences. Scholarly article accessed from web. <http://www.stemreports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/NRC_STEM_2.pdf>.

⁷Doorley, Scott, and Scott Witthoft. Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.

⁸(Potential in future)Interviews with interior designer Michele Brooks of Olsen & Lewis Architects, Manchester, MA

⁹(Potential in future)Interviews Derby School representative for construction of the Innovation Center, April-May 2013.

¹⁰ United States. United States Department of Labor. Division of Occupational Employment Statistics, PSB Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20212-0001. Occupational Employment Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; for Sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., Government database. <http://www.bls.gov/oes/>.

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