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Schuyler Colquitt 3 days ago 5 min read

Programs for Success: VW eLabs & STEM Fellows

positive impact on local family
Updated: 2 days ago

For some students, finding their niche in school isn't always easy. Fortunately, for
Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences senior Lucas Tomlinson, the Volkswagen
eLab provided him a creative outlet that helped inspire his interests in school and in the
projects he's created.

At PEF, we love to see when our programs coincide with one another and the positive
impact they have in our teacher’s and student’s lives – and in this case, family’s lives.
Salli Tomlinson, Lucas’s mother and past PEF STEM Fellow from Rivermont Elementary,
spoke highly of the VW eLab's effect on her son’s learning. “It’s the hands-on part that
got him motivated in a different way other than textbooks,” shared Salli. “He had
the ability to explore his school interests and be creative.” In 2017, CSAS opened
their VW eLab, and students were able to conduct an independent study in the early
stages. This is what sparked Lucas's interests in the class. Salli also shared how the work
Lucas was engaging in positively affected their family dynamic. “He came home every
day and had something positive to say about the class,” said Salli. “It helped start
more conversations between my husband and Lucas, as well.”

Lucas has been able to work on an array of different projects, some of which, he created
for teachers. For one project in particular, Lucas collaborated with his former CSAS
baseball coach, Rick Herman. The content is based on a poem that a friend of Herman’s
wrote. Herman approached Lucas about the project, and the two brainstormed different
ideas, with Lucas crafting different designs and size layouts for laser engraving. Lucas
created the design with the VW eLab technology and engraved it onto wood. He was
also able to facilitate and supervise the project. “The projects he worked on in the VW
eLab got him excited about school,” shared Salli. “It was the niche that he needed.”
The poem piece he worked on is now displayed at WanderLinger Brewery in downtown
 Chattanooga. “These are great life
skills for him to learn,” said Salli. “He
thinks he’ll want to do these types of
projects after school on his own.”

Lucas's sister, Kali Tomlinson, also

Lucas pictured with the piece he constructed, on display
at WanderLinger Brewery
shared her thoughts on how the VW
eLab helped shape her brother’s
interest in school. Before the VW eLab
came to CSAS, Kali shared, he was
unsure of what he liked and what he
wanted to do. “I feel like the VW eLab
provided an outlet for him with
different opportunities to get him
excited about school," said Kali. "It
was cool to see him come home and
say, ‘We did this today!’ or ‘I built this!’.
I think it put more ownership back on
him of what he created, and that was

really cool.”

Kali is currently a STEM Fellow in this

year's cohort, after hearing about the
program and positive experience from
her mother Salli. “I’m from Whitfield
County, and most STEM Fellows are
from Hamilton County," shared Kali,
"so it has helped me broaden my
teacher network and be able to see
what other districts are doing
differently." Kali's job as science
enrichment teacher is relatively new in
Whitfield County, and she believes it's
been beneficial to collaborate with
teachers who are teaching similar
subjects that might not be new material
for them. “When you’re new to a
position in your district, it’s really easy to
feel siloed," said Kali, "STEM Fellows
Lucas's piece inspired by artist, Whitfield Lovell, on
has really helped me feel like there display at CSAS art show
are other teachers out there – they
may not be right beside you down the
hall – but it’s still somebody you can reach out and contact." Kali also described the
role instructional development has played in her STEM Fellows experience, sharing, "I’ve
never received PBL training like I did with STEM Fellows. It was phenomenal! It
really opened my eyes to the fact that there’s so much going on in the community,
that I had no idea about, that my students need to know.”

The integral role both STEM Fellows and

the VW eLabs have played in the
Tomlinson's career and life has been a
great experience to witness. Kristin
Burrus, CSAS VW eLab Specialist and
former STEM Fellow, has played an
essential role in the positive impact the
VW eLab has had on her students. "Mrs.
Burrus is an amazing teacher,” shared
Salli. “She has been a big motivator
and really relates to the kids.” Lucas’s
VW eLab class had the chance to meet
Lucas with VW eLab classmates working on their art entrepreneurs and hear how they
projects this semester
started their businesses – a networking
opportunity that Burrus helped
organize. This collaboration was a beneficial way for students to make connections with
local entrepreneurs and startups, as well as learn first-hand knowledge about marketing
and business. Lamp Post Group, Bellhops, Coyote Logistics, Southtree, and The Dwell
Hotel all participated in the partnership with the students. “It taught us that if we
want to be entrepreneurs, we have to think about how things will work together,”
shared Lucas. At the end of the collaboration, students had the opportunity to learn
how to make a slide deck to pitch to a company. Lucas also shared about his experience
learning and working in the VW eLab. “It’s opened my eyes to everything I can do
with all these tools I’ve never used before," said Lucas. “I also feel that what I’m
learning in the class will help me once I get older and have a house because I'll
know how to solve problems with all these different tools.”

Lucas will start college at Tennessee Tech next year and plans to major in civil
engineering. He has to have at least 100 volunteer hours before graduation and has
already far surpassed his goal with 280 hours. In addition to volunteering at the
Chattanooga Fab Institute last year, he volunteers with the Rivermont Elementary
kindergarten class and has also volunteered the past three summers at Cumberland
Summer Camp.

Lucas believes the skills he’s acquired in the VW eLab have taught him how to
successfully work together in a team to solve real problems. In the future, Salli hopes
there is potential for a VW eLab connection with elementary schools as well. She shared
that Lucas is great with the kids and believes he would make an excellent teacher. For
Lucas, he still plans to take the civil engineering route – a route that the VW eLabs
helped form.

For more of Lucas's creations, check out the gallery below!

Additional project descriptions:

*Spelling bee trophies: These were part of Lucas's independent study in the VW eLab.
He made two sets of bee trophies and created individual trophies for the winners.

*Bench: Lucas constructed a bench for the CSAS high school library. The bench was also
part of his independent study this past semester and was what he created to graduate
from the VW eLab. He incorporated outlets so students could charge their electronics,
and the project took him around two months to complete.

*Numbered signs: Lucas helped build these blue signs on and around the doors
outside of CSAS with his classmates. For safety reasons, all major doors have these
numbers on them now.

*Clock: Lucas designed this at last year's Chattanooga Fab Institute, where he also
helped teachers create designs for their clocks. Lucas shared, "We assisted teachers
and showed them how to use the tools since we already knew how."

*Charcoal & Wood: When the art curriculum in Eric Keller's class collaborated with the
VW eLab classroom, students had the opportunity to choose inspiration from one of
three artists. For the Whitfield Lovell inspiration, students could create their drawing
onto wood material, using charcoal and blending.
 STEM Fellows • VW eLab

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