Love for Thy Neighbor
Through Engineering
Providence School Extends Christian Mission
with Custom Wheelchair and Other Life-Changing Creations
By Callie Fausey | November 21, 2024
Read more of our 2024 Schools of Thought stories here.
Engineers are “those who create by thought,” says Rodney Meadth, director of the Engineering Academy at Providence School. And their creations, he suggests, can carry moral and ethical consequences, for better or for worse. Prosthetic limbs and artificial intelligence, for example.
Meadth wants to teach his high school students how to use what they build for good and create things that reflect their own moral character. “I really want this to be one more way that the school serves the community,” he said.
In July 2022, the Engineering Academy was approached by a Santa Barbara County pediatrician who works with children with developmental and mobility limitations. The doctor asked them if they could design a wheelchair for a 2-year-old boy. University student engineering teams had developed prototypes, but they were ineffective in practice.
Using Infento — which Meadth described as “giant metal Legos” — two students, Sarah and Kiersi, worked to analyze and redesign those prototypes. Their new version, featuring a child’s car seat and robotics elements, improved its stability and maneuverability on uneven terrain, and it was easier to control for both the parent and the child. After three months, they had a working wheelchair, which the boy used successfully until he grew out of it a few months ago.
The project was even recently featured in a case study published by the Infento company.
“It showed these two girls that they could make a product in a matter of months that can now transform this kid’s life, giving him a sense of agency in the world where he has very severe limitations,” Meadth said. “And that’s just one of multiple stories — I can go on and on.”
Just recently, the same pediatrician approached the academy with their next project. It’s “ridiculously simple,” Meadth said, “but such a cool idea.”
Some children arrive at the doctor’s office by bus, Meadth explained. But for whatever reason, the stairs of the bus are steep, and the handrail is awkward — an intimidating climb, especially if a child already struggles with their mobility.
The pediatrician asked the academy’s students to make a replica of the steps so her patients could practice going up and down while at her office.
“And you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s something I would never think of, because I just do that without thinking,’ ” Meadth said. “But for someone whose legs don’t work like mine, that’s actually a really big deal.”
“It’s just a way that we can extend our Christian mission,” he went on. “Love our neighbors as ourselves, and do it with this extra skill of engineering.”
The private school is small, with only 55 high school students, and only 16 in the engineering academy this semester. However, these experiences are making a very big impression on the students and the people they help.
“It’s very satisfying for them to see that whole arc from day one,” Meadth said. “From when someone walks into the classroom and tells them what they want, to doing the hard work and wrestling over ideas with their team, to then seeing that day when their project makes a real difference in someone else’s life.”
Many of the students Meadth has taught in the academy over the last 10 years have gone on to study engineering, architecture, and design. “So, I think the ideas are sticking,” he beamed.
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