People Designing for People: Exploring Relationships Between Human-Centered Design and Engineering

For rising 10th – 12th graders: Local Day Camp (Session 1): June 12th – June 16th, 2023
For rising 10th – 12th graders: Residential or Commuter Camp (Session 2): June 19th – June 24th, 2023
Illinois Street Residence Hall

Camp is FULL for Summer 2023


Cost:

Residential: $1,000 per camper. Scholarships are available.
Commuter & In-Person Day Camp: $600 per camper. Scholarships are available.

See the Summer Camps FAQs page for more information about camp costs and the Trail Blazer scholarship.


PDP 2022 campers and counselor on the quad
PDP 2022 campers and counselor on the quad

Human-Centered Design (HCD) is a problem-solving approach that uses design thinking tools to first explore and define problems, then develop and sustain innovative and meaningful solutions. “People Designing for People” is an in-person camp that will take place at the NEW Siebel Center for Design (SCD) and will immerse learners in hands-on, authentic HCD experiences in engineering. During the camp, learners will collaborate with one another to brainstorm a solution to their design task, iterate a physical prototype, and present their work to peers and instructors. Learners will have the opportunity to work with physical materials and tools in the new SCD workshop as they create and refine their prototypes. Instructors will support learners throughout the process and encourage them to seek constructive feedback from peers as they iterate their designs.

PDP 2022 campers attending a design lecture
PDP 2022 campers attending a design lecture

Campers will:

  • Use human-centered design as an approach to creative problem solving
  • Practice employing design thinking tools to identify and understand user needs
  • Work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams
  • Create physical prototypes and provide constructive feedback

Camp Coordinator(s):

Saadeddine Shehab is currently the associate director of the assessment and research team at the Siebel Center for Design (SCD) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He works with a group of wonderful and talented people at SCD’s Assessment and Research Laboratory to conduct research that informs and evaluates the practice of teaching and learning human-centered design in formal and informal learning environments. His research focuses on studying students’ collaborative problem-solving processes and the role of the teacher in facilitating these processes in STEM classrooms.

Taylor Tucker is an SCD fellow who studied engineering mechanics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BSEM ’17). During that time, she became involved in interdisciplinary research focused on supporting engineering students’ collaborative work in small groups on open-ended design tasks. She believes that the current generation of researchers and educators is situated at a turning point for the future of engineering education, and her decision to pursue a master’s degree in the Digital Environments for Learning, Teaching, and Agency program at Illinois (MSCI ’21) was driven by the desire to contribute to the outcomes of that shift. Her stake in the future of engineering education has been shaped by two underlying values: 1) ill-structured problem-solving in design tasks that are both authentic to industry and able to address novel societal challenges, and 2) relevant hands-on learning. Her work serves to integrate and support collaborative, experiential classroom learning opportunities for various learning levels. She currently co-leads a collaboration with the Grainger College of Engineering to integrate elements of human-centered engineering design within required engineering courses across multiple disciplines.

Wesley Pereira is an accomplished professional with experience in the fields of data analytics and sales operations. He has a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication and is currently pursuing his MS in Information Management at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Wesley has a strong background in statistical modeling, data warehousing, and business intelligence. He is currently the Project Manager for the K-12 Programs at Siebel Center for Design. He has worked for Quantiphi Analytics, where he played a pivotal role in revenue forecasting, business analytics, and sales operations. Wesley is also an experienced business consultant who has worked with executives at F500 companies, helping them solve their business problems. Wesley’s Teach for India experience also showcases his ability to adapt to challenging situations and communicate complex ideas in a way that is understandable to a diverse group of young learners. Wesley is an active leader and volunteer, having led multiple teams in various organizations and spearheaded initiatives to promote innovation and education.

Camp Schedule(s)