MCC LHS Early College Students Gain Practical Experience

“SparkAlpha is a superb experience that helped me reinforce the values of teamwork, creativity and public speaking,” said Alex Pham, a Middlesex Community College (MCC) and Lowell High School (LHS) Early College student.

Led by the Spark Photonics Foundation, SparkAlpha seeks to provide high school students with “innovative project-based learning” focused on advanced manufacturing and business tools, according to the organization’s website. The program includes an opportunity for participating students to present a business plan.

During the MCC and LHS Early College SparkAlpha event, three teams of engineering students pitched a project and answered questions from a panel of expert judges. The outline of the event was based on the television show “Shark Tank,” in which people who have created a product or business idea appeal to investors for funding.

“This program was very beneficial, especially for a high school student such as myself,” said Sokrath Un, an MCC and LHS Early College student. “It taught me a lot about the business end of engineering and allowed me to touch up on my communication and creative thinking skills – skills that most high school classes do not normally teach.”

The presentation allowed students to use the knowledge they have been learning over the course of the semester about engineering. Together, they built a prototype and researched how much it would cost to build and how much it would sell for, among other information.

The judges for the event included Phil Sisson, MCC President; Dr. Joel Boyd, Lowell Superintendent of Schools; Mike Fiato, Head of School of LHS; Judy Hogan, MCC Dean of Business; and Kate Sweeney, MCC Dean of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

“Dual Enrollment is an integral part of what we do here at Middlesex,” said Phil Sisson, MCC’s President. “The Lowell High School and MCC Early College program gives students early exposure to college classes, support services and opportunities such as the SparkAlpha event, and puts them at a distinct advantage heading into their academic and professional careers. It was an honor to judge the competition and witness these young, creative minds at work.”

MCC has a long history of allowing LHS students to take college-level courses, including through MCC’s Early College High School Academy program. SparkAlpha is a collaborative effort as part of a pilot program, which includes a partnership between Middlesex, the Lowell school district, Engineering and Robotics LHS teacher Megan Pederson, and corporate partners.

“Having this ability allowed the students to think of what real-world problems really matter to them and how they can use photonics to solve these problems,” Pederson said. “It was fun to see the students really take control in their teams as they navigated through the engineering design process – they were truly able to take ownership of their learning.”

“The SparkAlpha project is in direct alignment with the work we are doing within the Early College Lowell program,” said Ellen Grondine, MCC’s Dean of Education & K-16 Partnerships. “One of our goals is to deepen classroom learning by providing relevant experiences that connect college coursework to future career aspirations and advanced degrees.”

The SparkAlpha presentation is a part of the work students have been doing in their class throughout the semester. Students also had a College Day where they received an MCC campus tour, an overview of resources available, and a presentation on the educational pathways MCC offers, according to Sothy Gaipo, MCC’s K-12 Articulation Coordinator.

“The SparkAlpha experience provides students with a unique opportunity to learn about both the technological and business side of product development,” Gaipo said. “They were encouraged to identify real-world problems and to leverage critical thinking skills and creativity to identify a solution.”

Earlier in the semester, students also visited the company Myrconic USA in Tewksbury to see a real-world example of the industry. Robert Vigneau, Project Manager at Spark Photonics Foundation, said his company was “proud to deliver this six-week program” and to partner with LHS, MCC and Mycronic.

“Students are introduced to cutting-edge nanotechnology, entrepreneurship, and advanced manufacturing through project-based learning,” Vigneau said. “The final pitch event is an opportunity for them to share their business plans with an audience and panel of judges. Mrs. Pederson’s introduction to engineering class did an outstanding job. Congratulations to all the students!”

On behalf of her students, Pederson considers the partnership between LHS and MCC to be “lucky” – from experiencing college-level courses while still in high school to being exposed early on to careers in the engineering industry.

“Having our College Day at Middlesex Community College allowed us to see ourselves at the college and what possibilities are in front of us as we prepare for our future,” she said.

Register now open for MCC’s Spring 2022 semester, starting on Monday, January 24. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434 for more information/

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