Continue reading Seven Hills Pediatric Center: Implementing a Sensory Garden for Multi-Sensory Cognitive Development

Seven Hills Pediatric Center: Implementing a Sensory Garden for Multi-Sensory Cognitive Development

Welcome to our Implementing A Sensory Garden team page. Our Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) involved our team to develop an interactive outdoor environment for the residents at Seven Hills Pediatric Center (SHPC). Working in collaboration with the staff of SHPC, we used a human-centered design approach to identify the needs of residents, and design features and…

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Continue reading YMCA of Central Massachusetts: Communication at the YMCA

YMCA of Central Massachusetts: Communication at the YMCA

PROJECT SPONSOR The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), originally founded in 1844, is a worldwide nonprofit organizationwhich meets the needs of the community through programs and services.  The YMCA now has many branches scattered throughout the world that continue to aid in building the foundations of the community. The Central Community Branch in Worcester, MA…

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Continue reading Habitat for Humanity (HfH): Increasing Youth Involvement

Habitat for Humanity (HfH): Increasing Youth Involvement

Welcome to the webpage of the Habitat for Humanity 2017 IQP. For our interactive qualifying project, our team worked in collaboration with the Habitat for Humanity affiliate of the MetroWest/Greater Worcester area under the direction of the local volunteer coordinator – Molly Pietrantonio. Our research was oriented around discovering the interests and motivations of local…

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Continue reading YMCA of Central Massachusetts: Helping the Y to Further Integrate Newcomer Populations through Community Engagement & Encouragement

YMCA of Central Massachusetts: Helping the Y to Further Integrate Newcomer Populations through Community Engagement & Encouragement

PROJECT DESCRIPTION Migration from one country to another is a challenging journey that many people in the United States have experienced. Thirty-seven thousand Irish men and women migrated into Boston, Massachusetts because of the potato famine in 1847. More recently, the devastating 2010 earthquake that occurred in Haiti caused the migration of approximately 58,000 Haitian immigrants…

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Continue reading Worcester Art Museum: Family Accessibility

Worcester Art Museum: Family Accessibility

For our Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), we worked with the Worcester Art Museum(WAM) to gauge the interest of young children ages 0 – 4 in the museum. The museum needs information on this demographic in order to accomplish their goal of becoming a cultural staple in New England by 2020. Project Description The Worcester Art…

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Continue reading Boys & Girls Club of Worcester: STEM Program

Boys & Girls Club of Worcester: STEM Program

For our Interactive Qualifying Project, we worked in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester to build a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program for their students aged 10 to 13. STEM is extremely important in today’s technology-driven society, and introducing kids to these topics early can open doors to a successful…

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Continue reading YMCA of Central Massachusetts: Newcomer Issues

YMCA of Central Massachusetts: Newcomer Issues

For our interactive qualifying project we worked with the Central Community Branch of the YMCA under the Regional Executive Director, Mr. David Connell. We identified newcomers to the community and learned more about their interests and needs so that the YMCA can engage the diverse populations of Worcester. Student Researchers Background The YMCA of Central Massachusetts’…

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