STEAM Studio

In 2014, Dr. Mandi Sonnenberg, professor of education at Rockhurst University, and David Reid, a principal with architecture firm Gould Evans, set out to partner on an experiment—to create an innovative “anti-classroom” where students could fall in love with STEAM-related subjects, and flourish in their creative capacities using the Design Thinking process as a foundation. Working with Rockhurst U

niversity’s Helzberg School of Management, she and a team of graduate students developed a business plan with a mission statement, goals, objectives, and implementation steps. The project was fruitful, but it lacked one important ingredient—a physical space. David and Dr. Sonnenberg met when Gould Evans was working with Rockhurst University on their new academic building. They shared a
passion for promoting innovative education. As they discussed STEAM education for K-12, and exploring ways to enrich the STEM pathway into college-level programs and industry, they realized that they each held half of the equation needed to start STEAM Studio. Gould Evans’ Kansas City office resides in a quirky abandoned urban mini-mall not far from the Rockhurst University campus. The space is
inefficient, but its character is rich. And part of the space’s inefficiency meant that there was available square footage in the upper mezzanine
that could be converted into an “anti-classroom” for this new program. Gould Evans happily offered the space free of charge, and STEAM
Studio was born. Over the next three years, the programming grew organically from this original vision to become a highly robust place where students not only learn about STEAM topics, but, more importantly, develop lifelong skills related to effective learning strategies and the power of creativity and design.