Our Valued Partner

Change Happens Foundation has been a vital partner of the DPEA Foundation for the past 10 years, and was one of the early adopters that provided a capital contribution to help bring the Elings Center for Engineering Education into existence in 2012. Ongoing support has enabled DPEA faculty to prototype and pilot several initiatives to prove their efficacy, which has been instrumental in creating the vision for the Interactive STEAM Learning Center and lead to the groundbreaking of this $16 Million facility in October 2020. 

Experiential Learning with Elementary Students​
​This video highlights local elementary school students visiting our specialized high school facility on a field trip.  During their time with us, our high school students provided mentorship to the elementary students in computer-aided design and fabrication using professional machines including lathes, mills, and a laser cutter. The students also enjoyed our temporary showcase and were able to engage with our collection of interactive educational exhibits and the students who created them. Finally, they engaged in an activity in which they provided constructive feedback and ideas about exhibits that are currently being developed and refined by our students.

LED Card Project with Elementary Students
​This video illustrates an initiative in which we developed standards-based STEAM curriculum for elementary students with accompanying project-based kits. The DPEA students have been helping deliver the curriculum remotely to the elementary students and will continue to do so in an in-person format after the COVID-19 pandemic.

DPEA Exhibition at MOXI
After three years of experimenting with our students on the creation of dozens of exhibits, we learned how to design, build, and install professional-quality exhibits for museums. With 20+ students, we channeled all of that experience into the development of the Interactive Kinetic Ball Machine -- from start to finish -- in one academic school year. Currently, this exhibit is installed at MOXI in Santa Barbara, California.  These clips show MOXI guests interacting with the exhibit by rearranging the magnetic tracks to move the ball through the system creatively.

Building the Interactive Kinetic Ball Machine​
This video was created to help communicate how we developed the Interactive Kinetic Ball Machine in our high school facility.  At the time this footage was taken, the students had finished the design and the remaining work was primarily  fabrication, assembly, and testing.  Dozens of students worked over the weekend to prepare the project for its debut at the Association of Children's Museums (ACM) Conference in Denver.

Photo Gallery​​
​This collection of images highlights educational field trips from several elementary schools to our campus over the past few years, and the Interactive Kinetic Ball Machine at various stages of development.