Hampshire College

The Hampshire College Lemelson Center (HCLC) intertwines technology and liberal arts education through the use of applied design problem-solving. By spurring students’ innovative imaginations, the center envisions ushering in a new era of equitable and compassionate enterprise fostered by the creative application of technology and the entrepreneurial spirit of invention.

The mission of HCLC is to provide students with an experiential education in applied design, invention, and social entrepreneurship through engagement in applied design problem-solving for social responsibility. HCLC achieves its mission through a combination of courses; activities; internships; collaborations with businesses and non-profit organizations; and through teams of students who design, develop, and make available products and services for underserved people worldwide. HCLC fosters the development of socially beneficial enterprises developed by student and alumni who utilize the center.

Applied design is a broad-based holistic approach to the design of functional objects. It draws on the basic principles of industrial and mechanical design; adaptive and appropriate technology; and sculpture. It utilizes prototype development and craft-making practices while considering the aesthetic aspects of design. This academic program, now a part of Hampshire's School of Interdisciplinary Arts, grew out of the original Lemelson Program, which provides a framework for nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and penchant for innovation that exists at Hampshire College.

Students of many disciplines have benefited from design courses offered through HCLC. Courses cover areas including appropriate technology and alternative energy; mechanical design and construction; electronics; prototype creation, assistive technology, and universal design. Issues covered include the principles of applied design, anatomy, and ergonomics; problem-solving and need-finding; market influence on design; prototype building and testing; consumer research; establishing design parameters; and socially responsible design. Courses are experiential and include student participation in prototype construction, with some student-created equipment placed into the hands of the public for real-world use.

In addition to academic courses, the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for Design offers workshops, called trainings, in a wide variety of design and fabrication skills. These 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 as well as other innovative applied-design projects.

The center for design offers a laboratory for the exploration of design and fabrication. It is open to all Hampshire students and includes a shop equipped for working with metals and plastics as well as a design lab for manual and computer-aided design. Students may use the facility for academic and personal projects. There are no prerequisites to use the facility, and all skill levels are welcome.

Download the Hampshire College Lemelson Center 2008-2009 Annual Report