On Thursday, April 28, 2016, Wes Anderson, visited J. J. Harris Elementary School to discuss with students how S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) is incorporated into everyday procedures at T. K. Anderson Designs. This was a great opportunity for Wes to explain the significance of all five of these factors within the real world while giving back to the community in an inspiring way. Really, when you think about it, each one of these subjects plays an important role here at T. K. Anderson’s design studio. Wes started his presentation with Mathematics, and worked his way backwards through S.T.E.A.M. because that’s the order in which they occur at the studio. Mathematics happens to be one of the most important steps within the entire jewelry making process. Measurements and calculations of gold and gem weights must be precisely accurate in order for the jewelry to be executed properly. The letter A stands for Art which is the creative side of things; Art is incorporated into all of our designs from drafting a model to creating it in CAD (computer aided design). The next subject is Engineering which is used in the B9 3D printer and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software. Technology is used every single day at T. K. Anderson Designs from computers and telephones to our new 3D printer which we use to produce prototypes of jewelry models in order for our clients to gain a clear understanding of their piece before finalizing it. Last but not least, Science is incorporated into a lot of what we do here at the studio. We use the periodic table to explain the noble metals and we use this knowledge to create metal alloys when casting. All five factors that make up S.T.E.A.M. play very important roles in the jewelry making industry. While Wes wanted to incorporate these subjects into his presentation, the most important thing for him was working with the children and giving back to the community. He was able to discuss what it takes to become a jeweler from art, design, and metalsmith classes to dedication and hard work. One of the subjects that Wes wanted to place significance upon was Art because Art is the side of things where you can really let your imagination run wild. Really diving into this subject, Wes was able to inspire the students to chase after their dreams no matter what.
