RKS led a workshop at Westlake Elementary School as a part of the Start-Up Kids enrichment program encouraging students to develop entrepreneurial mindsets. Cal Lutheran University Dean and long time RKS friend, Dr. Gerhard Apfelthaler, initiated this program fulfilling its mission that it is never too early to inspire.
Stimulating independent thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills is vital at an elementary level as minds are best formed at a young age. It is important for children to be exposed to all career possibilities, including those that are less conventional.
Scott Clear, RKS Chief Design and Innovation Officer, introduced the kids to some of the awe-inspiring creations of industrial design. The group gained knowledge of the differences between the right and left brain and the amazing things that can happen when both creatively inclined and logically inclined people work together to achieve a mutual goal.
Volunteers from the class were given the opportunity to redesign a travel coffee mug with the features they thought were most important for usability. Their bright and uninhibited minds came to incredible, original solutions including a contracting and expanding base that fits snugly into any size cup holder, heating mechanisms, and even password protected lid locking.