Canadian University Press Releases/Newswire

Source: University of Waterloo
http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4805

High school students explore 'design' theme

November 10, 2006

WATERLOO, Ont. (Friday, Nov. 10, 2006) -- Top Grade 11 students from across Canada will explore the theme of design next week in a Waterloo Unlimited program offered at the University of Waterloo.

The 46 students will participate in a series of on-campus workshops arranged by the UW enrichment program. Waterloo Unlimited is a trans- disciplinary enrichment experience for high school students of exceptional potential.

"Our program will give the students the opportunity to interact with university faculty and students from around the campus," said Ed Jernigan, director for Waterloo Unlimited. "With that diversity, we are able to explore design in the broadest possible sense."

Jernigan said the program seeks to help students of extraordinary potential come together in a community of scholars. "At Unlimited, students learn how to become more engaged with and better able to contribute to their own educational enrichment."

The students will learn about design in the context of various disciplines presented by professors from various faculties and programs from across campus, including engineering, literature, urban planning and other areas. They will also attend skills sessions, on topics such as creativity and communications, and participate in group assignments and activities.

Each day includes two lectures on some aspect of design, a two-hour hands-on workshop on a design discipline and a two-hour skills session. There are also public talks by Ken Coates, dean of the faculty of arts, and James Alan Gardner, a local author.

Developing programs around a theme, rather than a single subject, is a hallmark of Waterloo Unlimited.

"Innovative solutions and groundbreaking research happen where disciplines and researchers cross boundaries," Jernigan said. "Themed teaching promotes an open-ended learning experience and develops students' higher-order academic skills, such as analysis, synthesis, communication and collaboration."

Hosted by the faculty of environmental studies, Waterloo Unlimited has been offering innovative enrichment experiences to high school students since 2004.