Stand close to people who feel like sunshine…

The moment has come to close this chapter of the sabbatical journey. There is a wonderful sense of accomplishment at the many opportunities presented over a period of 8 months as I reflect and revisit over 220 pages of research notes, discussion/interview comments, drawings and photographs.

I’ve been back in Maine for over a month and have taught one intensive course – “Introduction to STEAM” – and started the new semester teaching 5 more courses! Time simply “flies” and the importance of experiences at the University of California, San Diego during the last two weeks of July and first two weeks of August are critically important to highlight.

First and foremost, thanks and appreciation to my dear friend Shane Moise, Project Manager at the Gordon Engineering Leadership Center for his wonderful guidance and mentorship during visits to various areas of the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering. His experience and background provided an extraordinary series of thoughtful and thought-provoking conversations with various UCSD academic and staff leaders. These individuals included:

-Dr. Albert Pisano, Dean - Jacobs School of Engineering

-Dr. Ed Abeyta, Associate Dean for Community Engagement/Director UCSD Extension

-Dr. Victoria Cajipe, Senior Licensing Officer - Gordon Engineering Leadership Center

-Susan Yonezawa, Associate Director - CREATE Program

-Jesse Dewald, Staff Director - The EnVision Program, Arts and Engineering Maker Studio

-Gabi Schaffin, Visual Arts P - The EnVision Program, Arts and Engineering Maker Studio

-Shawn Loescher, CEO - Urban Discovery and IDEATE High Academies, San Diego, CA

Our conversations provided invaluable insight into how dynamic leadership, passion, and design thinking can generate programs that are interdisciplinary, inclusive and forward thinking. There is creative and innovative energy and synergy of interdisciplinary thinking and design that embraces all members of the UCSD “learning community.” It is marvelous to experience the depth and breadth of “deliberate collaboration and cooperation” that have established UCSD as a recognized global leader in the forefront of innovative change, and entrepreneurial enterprise and product design. I will have more to discuss about these “ways of thinking/being” in an upcoming article.

Another group of longtime friends and colleagues at UCSD that deserve a “shout out” and provided so much encouragement and conversation during my sabbatical experience are:

-Jay Minert, Director – Outreach and Academic Engagement – Study Abroad Global Engagement

-eeman minert, Director of Residential Life and Associate Dean – Thurgood Marshall College

-Malik Minert, 4thgrade student -- STEAM scientist, musician and creative writer/thinker/artist

-Jennifer Homrich, Internship/UCDC Coordinator – Teaching + Learning Commons

Our conversations provided a deeper understanding of two ideas related to design thinking and learning --- making the world a better place and leaving the world better than how you found it. This involves the integration of 360-degree teaching, instruction and learning within a framework of problem/project-based learning, deep thinking and learning --- organized in a curricular design that is interdisciplinary, diverse and inclusionary.

Sincere appreciation to my daughter Maria Luisa for the technical assistance setting up the blog site –muchas gracias hija! Also, many thanks to Tim McNamara, Alan Botterman and the students, faculty and staff at HighTechHigh Chula Vista, whose inspirational leadership and mentorship was a blessing and a gift! And lastly thanks to The Center for Innovation in Education at Thomas College for the opportunity to make critically important STEAM connections in a global dialogue of design thinking, design learning and celebration.

The sabbatical experience examined a variety of concepts, ideas and programs that are STEAM focused – a wonderful array of discoveries, explorations and journeys. Something I learned is that these concepts, designs and ideas are all around us, but as is the case in many situations the question still arises, “do we have the will to be more than just informed; do we have the will to educate all people?”

Perhaps another discussion for another time...

Asante Sana

RB Blog