Today is National STEAM Day. It’s a day to raise awareness of the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education.
All five of the STEAM disciplines are extremely important every day at Draper. Here are a few examples of STEAM in action.
Science
You may not have considered this before, but a lot of science goes into projection screens – especially screens that reject ambient light for a brighter projected image with the lights on. Draper has created certain formulations that take light from off angles and reflect it away from viewers’ eyes, while sending the projected light to the audience.
“An ALR screen contains specular reflective properties that have been added to reject ambient light,” said Steve Cook, AV Consultant Relations Manager. “One thing that sets Draper ALR screens apart is the relatively wider viewing cones. And because ambient light is different in every room, we have several levels of ALR depending on the project.”
Technology
All areas at Draper depend on technology. Gone are the days of hand cutting shade cloth. Now there are CNC (computer numerical control) machines to ensure the cut is as perfect as possible. We also use barcode scanning technology throughout the manufacturing process to every step and part is accounted for. And, of course, where would we all be without computers and sophisticated network technology to communicate create? IT, production, marketing, sales – all areas have opportunities for experts in understanding and implementing technology.
Engineering
“I think Engineering (engineering capability) is a key strength at Draper and it’s what enables us to develop technologies for our customers. So, with that, I’m not an engineer but I use engineering principles on a daily basis. I’ve learned these principles and engineering basics throughout my life but it all started with every engineer’s favorite toy; Lego’s. As a young child, basic construction using Lego’s was a key aspect of learning these basic principles and this evolved into more technical aspects as I grew into my pre-teen years.”
-Grant Wylie, Director of AVMS Product Management
Art
The Engineering department (and myself at a different level) apply all facets of STEAM on a daily basis.
From the aesthetics (Art), to designing the components/connections (Engineering), specifying and manufacture of the raw materials (Science), determining how to calculate/configure the ordering process (Math) and what type of operators/controls we utilize/develop (Technology), we touch all (5) areas.
My training in school and previous employment have helped me hone my STEAM abilities.
-Harold Seib, Director of Engineering (included here although he uses all five to underline the combination of art with the other disciplines!)
Math
“Knowing how to use the metric system has been so important to my work over the last few years! Doing work in a global economy means I have to be able to communicate details and measurements in a way that companies outside of the U.S. understand. When I first started here at Draper, and was only doing work domestically, I dealt with fractions a lot. Now that I’ve expanded my role and am building partnerships with others across the pond, being able to convert to decimals and use the metric system have become essential skills in completing my everyday tasks.”
-Jessi Wright, Solar Control Solutions Manager
If there’s one lesson to learn from Draper on this STEAM Day, it’s that each element plays an important role in more jobs than you might have thought!
You can click here to visit our website and see all products created using science, tech, engineering, art, and math!
