The Lemelson Center’s courses use applied design as the teaching medium, and include areas such as mechanical design, construction, and universal design. Courses are experiential, including student participation in prototype construction, with some of this student-created equipment placed into the hands of the public for real-world use. In addition to semester-long academic courses, the Lemelson Center offers co-curricular courses, workshops, and seminars. These include introductory workshops, called trainings, in a wide variety of design and fabrication skills. The trainings, which include introductory and advanced sessions, are intended to give students the skills necessary to design and fabricate assistive technology and universal design prototypes and other types of innovative projects.

HCLC is part of Hampshire College’s School for Interdisciplinary Arts. At the core of this school is the assumption that the study of art should be grounded in practice and process. The school’s three central tenets are interdisciplinarity; art and social action; and art and technology. The Lemelson Center embodies all three of these tenets by incorporating an interdisciplinary approach to the process of design; by addressing the impact of design on social needs; and by specifically investigating the design and the process of discovery that can greatly affect technology.

Fall 2011 Course Offerings

For course descriptions continue below. Additionally, further down is a more comprehensive list of course titles offered in the past several years.

Animals, Robots & Applied Design: This is a hands-on course in which students will create mechanical animal models based on their observations of live animal behaviors. Mechanical models of animals are used in both art and science. Students will learn animal observation techniques, design and fabrication skills, basic electronics and simple programming. This is a class for students with skills or interests in any of the following: electronics, robotics, animal behavior, programming, metal, wood or plastics fabrication. This will be a highly collaborative setting in which students will be responsible for sharing their own specialized skills. Students can expect introductory assignments to learn basic skills, followed by a term project. We will also examine work being done by scientists and artists who combine the study of animals with robotics and mechanical design.

Bicycle Frame Design and Fabrication: This co-curricular course will engage students in the process of designing and fabricating a custom bicycle frame. Students will learn about the array of anatomical and performance factors that designers must consider; use a frame design CAD program to analyze their design and create working drawings; and learn all the required fabrication methods for building welded steel frames. Those students wishing to build their own frame should expect to spend a significant amount of time in the shop outside of class.

The Business of Change: Social Action Through Entrepreneurship: This course will explore how social entrepreneurship affects change in society. Using real world examples, participants in this course will identify key entrepreneurial methods and practices that are, or could be used to foster positive change. The course will start off with a look at the general effects entrepreneurship has on society and then move on to investigating key entrepreneurial processes and techniques that are used for creating change. For participants in this course to be successful, they must desire to make a difference in the world, be comfortable doing research, enjoy sharing their ideas and thoughts in discussions, and be self-directed.

Creative Electronics: This course will familiarize the student with some of the basic creative applications of electronics. A central element in this process will be examining and modifying common electronic devices. This approach focuses on the physical and functional aspects of electronics and encourages an understanding of application through hands on experience rather than a study of theory. This also encourages the student to look to pre existing devices for artistic materials rather than building everything from scratch. This will be a project based course and most in class time will be spent experimenting and building. Prior experience with electronics is not necessary, but the student should be comfortable using simple hand tools. Each student will be supplied with a course kit. This will include all the necessary tools as well as a variety of common and useful electrical components.

Design For the Greater Good: Students in this class will work collaboratively on community oriented design projects with established local groups. We will consider how designed objects or environments can encourage positive human interactions, energy and resource conservation, and physical well-being. This is a practical, hands-on design class in which we will learn how to research community needs, problem solve, and work with the realities of limited resources.

Tinkering for Fun & Profit: Creativity enhancement through construction and deconstruction: Though tinkering is often viewed as aimless fiddling with gadgets and gizmos, in reality it is often a very productive means of discovery, experimentation, and invention, or, in other words, constructive play. This course will explore tinkering as a means of enhancing technological creativity and three-dimensional and kinetic artistic capacity. Through projects and experiential means (e.g. tinkering) students in this course will gain a deeper understanding of their creative process, improve their understanding of mechanical objects, explore the relationship between the whimsical and the practical, acquire basic fabrication and design skills, do some intuitive engineering, and engage in 3D doodling. This course is DART-related.

Women’s Design and Fabrication: This course will introduce students through experiential means to the basic fabrication process available in the Lemelson Center. Students will work on a variety of hands-on projects, gaining experience with as many different fabrication skills as time allows. In addition, we will cover basic elements of design and project planning; how built objects relate to the artificial and natural environment; and consider the broader impact design has on society. Upon completion of the course, participants will have start-to-finish experience with several projects, a working knowledge of several types of fabrication processes, and will be expected to have the foundational skills and knowledge in design and fabrication necessary to complete more advanced design and art projects.

Recently Offered Courses

Advanced Blacksmithing
Animals, Robots, and Applied Design
Appropriate Technology in the World
Art and Energy: Solar Music and Beyond
Basic Blacksmithing
Bicycle Ambulance Building Workshop
Bicycle Design and Beyond
Bicycle Frame Design and Fabrication
Circuit Bending
Creative Electronics
Design Conspiracy Student Group
Design For the Greater Good
Design Fundamentals
Electronics and Assistive Technology
Fabrication Shop Trainings
Fabrication Skills
Introduction to C.A.D. (Computer-Aided Design)
Introduction to Soft Goods
Look Ma, No Hands
Machine Shop Instruction
Model Making
Soft Goods Design
Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship: Starting Your Own Socially Responsible Enterprise
Stained Glass Techniques Workshop
Technosalvation
The Business of Change: Social Action Through Entrepreneurship
Women’s Fabrication Skills