Jamie Kennedy
Hello and welcome! I am currently the Director of Engineering at Astra Nova School. I am thrilled to be a part of this experimental school and pushing the boundaries of education. Astra Nova, formally Ad Astra, is in its eighth year and focuses on redesigning each year a new. This year I am also joining the Pre-College Engineering Education Division Committee for the American Society of Engineering Education.
For the three years prior, I was the Director of the Center for Innovation and Research at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, CA where I opened the Center for Innovation and Research, a 6000 sqft building for students to explore the world around them and become equipped with 21st century skills. Through a process called, visioneering, students, faculty, and parents helped design this building to meet the needs of the community. Over my time at Chadwick, I also taught AP Physics C, AP Capstone: Research and Capstone, and STEM Lab.
Preceding Chadwick, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at The College of New Jersey for the Integrative STEM Education Department in the School of Engineering, a program that prepares K-12 STEM educators through integrated authentic practices of inquiry and project based learning. I taught various classes including Society, Ethics, and Technology and Creative Design. I am currently still an Adjunct Professor of this department.
Before TCNJ, I was the Lead Engineer for a start up company based out of Philadelphia, PA, Dragon Spectral. As a company, we developed hyperspectral imaging products based on holographically formed polymer dispersed liquid crystal, HPDLC, filter technology. Essentially, Dragon Spectral is providing the ability to see the whole color spectrum on a mobile device instead of just a blurred-integrated version of RGB.
I completed my Ph.D. at Drexel University in electrical engineering in June of 2016, where I also completed my B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering. I worked under Dr. Adam Fontecchio in the Nanophotonics+ Laboratory. My Ph.D. thesis topic was The Study Shape Memory Alloys as Actuators for Textile Robotics and Compression Garment Applications. A majority of my previous research conducted during my bachelor's and master's degrees included work in electromagnetics with a concentration in magnetic nanoparticles and ferrofluid. Past research projects incorporated conductive inks, printed antennas and fiber optics. Please check out the Research page for more information.
I formed my passion for education through my two graduate fellowships, National Science Foundation STEM K-12 and Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need. Through these experiences, I worked in multiple inner-city Philadelphia high school classrooms using project-based learning to teach engineering concepts based around the NGSS science and engineering practices and the NAE grand challenges. Being a teaching assistant and Adjunct Professor at Drexel University for 8 years, along with the fellowships previously mentioned, my eyes were opened up to the need of new experiential STEM curriculum that follows personalized learning.
When I am not in the lab or teaching, I am generally found watching, playing, or coaching some sort of sport. Being in basketball, flag football, volleyball, and soccer leagues keeps my endorphin levels high and a smile on my face. I also enjoy a good hike with some camping, especially during my travels around the world.
For the three years prior, I was the Director of the Center for Innovation and Research at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, CA where I opened the Center for Innovation and Research, a 6000 sqft building for students to explore the world around them and become equipped with 21st century skills. Through a process called, visioneering, students, faculty, and parents helped design this building to meet the needs of the community. Over my time at Chadwick, I also taught AP Physics C, AP Capstone: Research and Capstone, and STEM Lab.
Preceding Chadwick, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at The College of New Jersey for the Integrative STEM Education Department in the School of Engineering, a program that prepares K-12 STEM educators through integrated authentic practices of inquiry and project based learning. I taught various classes including Society, Ethics, and Technology and Creative Design. I am currently still an Adjunct Professor of this department.
Before TCNJ, I was the Lead Engineer for a start up company based out of Philadelphia, PA, Dragon Spectral. As a company, we developed hyperspectral imaging products based on holographically formed polymer dispersed liquid crystal, HPDLC, filter technology. Essentially, Dragon Spectral is providing the ability to see the whole color spectrum on a mobile device instead of just a blurred-integrated version of RGB.
I completed my Ph.D. at Drexel University in electrical engineering in June of 2016, where I also completed my B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering. I worked under Dr. Adam Fontecchio in the Nanophotonics+ Laboratory. My Ph.D. thesis topic was The Study Shape Memory Alloys as Actuators for Textile Robotics and Compression Garment Applications. A majority of my previous research conducted during my bachelor's and master's degrees included work in electromagnetics with a concentration in magnetic nanoparticles and ferrofluid. Past research projects incorporated conductive inks, printed antennas and fiber optics. Please check out the Research page for more information.
I formed my passion for education through my two graduate fellowships, National Science Foundation STEM K-12 and Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need. Through these experiences, I worked in multiple inner-city Philadelphia high school classrooms using project-based learning to teach engineering concepts based around the NGSS science and engineering practices and the NAE grand challenges. Being a teaching assistant and Adjunct Professor at Drexel University for 8 years, along with the fellowships previously mentioned, my eyes were opened up to the need of new experiential STEM curriculum that follows personalized learning.
When I am not in the lab or teaching, I am generally found watching, playing, or coaching some sort of sport. Being in basketball, flag football, volleyball, and soccer leagues keeps my endorphin levels high and a smile on my face. I also enjoy a good hike with some camping, especially during my travels around the world.