The Spaces

Currently Brendan is working at Avenues: The World School. In his time there he designed a full year’s STEAM curriculum for Avenues’ Shenzhen campus, which had the flexibility of being executed fully asynchronously and online while also being easily enriched by an in person experience for teachers and students. He’ll be taking on the role of iLab manager for the NYC Campus. He’s got big shoes to fill, but is excited for the challenge.

Brendan previously worked at the Lycée Français’ enormous makerspace and media labs. He created unique weekend workshops for students ranging from stop motion green-screen animation, to geometric mask making, to candle powered hot air balloons. While also focusing on designing and executing making and building curriculum for T-2nd graders (that’s a hoot).

The Lycée’s Makerspace was outfitted with a half-dozen 3d printers, a vinyl cutter, a 60-watt laser cutter, and a wide variety of hand tools, sewing machines and wood working tools to enable a variety of projects.

And their Media lab was essentially a fully functional green screen television studio, equipped with 3 black magic cameras and switcher. It also houses our cinema equipment, allowing students to check out high quality DSLR camera's and lens kits. Truly a dream for any cinephile or photographer.

Previously Brendan rebuilt and renovated HTHMA's Engineering lab. The facility sprawled throughout 'The Treehouse' (High Tech's nickname for the HTHMA Annex: building 37).

The class's computers and 'clean work' was done right as you enter the building, often visitors enter and are surprised they are walking into a work space

HTHMA Engineering also housed the schools laser cutter and 3D printing facilities. In a smaller adjacent room we had a 150-Watt Universal Laser Systems Laser Cutter and Two 3D Printers: a Replicator 2X, and a Pegasus Touch, as well as a pretty decked out electronics station.

The larger space was a fully-functional, cabinet-quality wood shop/dirty lab. The lab was capable of creating fine pieces of wood art, creating industrial strength structures, and hand crafted furniture.

Who works here anyway?

Huh ... that's funny ...

Brendan:

Who is Brendan? Interesting question, glad I'm here to type it for you ... I'll try to keep it short, though the story is about 3.6 decades long and still going.

Prior to working at HTHMA Brendan was a working Electrical Engineer at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Division (EMS). He worked on several projects there including the E.M.A.L.S. program, an electromagnetic aircraft launch system for the next generation of US aircraft carrier, A.A.G. the advanced arresting gear for those same carriers, the Urban MagLev program, Navy Rail Gun, Homopolar Motor, and several military power conversion systems.

Before GA, Brendan received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from SDSU, with minors in Computer Science and Theatre Arts. Since Graduation, Brendan has helped found and run two Non-Profit Theatres in San Diego. Though Triad was wildly financially unsuccessful; it was critically acclaimed and Brendan cherishes the memories of that company. Circle Circle dot dot is still going strong, and though Brendan could no longer shoulder the responsibility of Managing Director, he now serves on the Non-profit board of Circle, and continues to enjoy working with them.

Brendan worked at the Lycée Français de New York as their Project Based Learning Integrator (what a mouthful)! He spent his days coaching teachers, helping them understand how to integrate PBL into their traditional French curriculum, and creating unique experiences for students of all ages in the Lycée's state of the art Media Lab and Makerspace.

Finally landing at Avenues it has been a joy!

Right now, Brendan is probably working on lesson plans, or figuring out a new project.