The Hayot Center for Innovation (HCI)

"Nothing thrills me more than imagining our students and faculty being beckoned by a space that allows them to be dreamers and creators lost in exploration!"

-Dr. Patricia T. Hayot, Head of School 2003-2020

Named for Chapin's sixth Head of School,
Dr. Patricia T. Hayot, the Hayot Center for Innovation (HCI) is a design and innovation lab for students in Kindergarten-Class 12.

A hub for discovery, risk-taking and experimentation, this thoughtfully designed and adaptable space inspires new ideas, innovation and interdisciplinary programming. With the ability to accommodate more than one class, the HCI encourages creativity and collaboration across grades, departments and divisions.

Equipped with state-of-the-art 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, power tools and 3D pens, as well as basics like construction paper, scissors and glue, the HCI allows all students to feel comfortable experimenting, designing and building. Students can also engage with high-level software—such as Tinkercad, Fusion 360, Adobe Illustrator and CoSpaces—in this space.

As technology continues to advance, the versatile Hayot Center for Innovation can and will continue to evolve, serving as a model for curricular progression.

Inside the HCI, through a set of glass doors, sits the Fabrication Lab or "Fab Lab," which was made possible in part with funds raised from the Class of 2020 Senior Gift. This space includes two laser cutters, a miter saw, table saw, drill presses and our CNC machines.

The possibilities inside the Fab Lab are endless. Upper School students in our "MiniFab" project-based course, for example, enjoy a variety of “Maker” projects. Students complete a series of challenges, ranging from laser cutting and assembling structures, to 3D printing footwear and using smart IoT machines. Through these projects, they learn to design vector graphics, model 3D objects, wire and code electronics and operate power tools. Students maintain an engineering journal where they document their work each week, reflecting on the successes and lessons learned.

Central to the vision of the HCI is to nurture in our students the fortitude to solve problems, develop skills and techniques and, most importantly, to demonstrate a maker mindset, which requires persistence, curiosity and passion. Thus, myriad interdisciplinary activities take place inside. A few recent examples include:

Class 5 Engineers

To enhance their engineering skills and complement their study of forces and motion, Class 5 students were tasked with designing their own mini golf courses. After performing a series of experiments and analyzing their results, students determined the best materials for construction. Students used various tools inside the HCI including 3D pens. In an exciting culmination, students tested their courses with classmates.

Upper School Math Games

After finishing their probability unit, Class 10 Advanced Math students applied those concepts in the form of game design. To create the games, students blueprinted their boards and pieces, used 3D modeling software to create game pieces and dice (in conjunction with the 3D printers), and learned how to use Adobe Illustrator to create and laser cut their boards and probability wheels.

Upper School Fashion Design

With inspiration from a documentary about the French fashion designer Olivier Rousteing, Upper School students in Advanced French II had the opportunity to create their own fashion accessories using the high-tech 3D printers and laser cutters in the HCI's Fab Lab. They shared their inventive pieces, including earrings, bracelets and pendants, with classmates during presentations en français.

Guitar Construction

Class 4 & 12 Engineers

Class 4 scientists collaborated with Class 12 Advanced Physics students to build their own roller coasters. As part of Class 4’s engineering unit, students are tasked with designing and constructing their own roller coaster - with at least one loop - using household materials like cups, cardboard and paper. During a special lesson, our seniors shared their expertise and advice with our Middle Schoolers.

Upper School's Virtual Reality

Drawing upon their architectural knowledge from Art History, US students chose to design a brand-new space or rework an existing one, with form and function top of mind. They started by creating to-scale blueprints, which they then uploaded into a digital space. From there, students spent a few class periods building and coding their spaces to bring their visions to life. For the project’s culmination, students sported the HCI’s Virtual Reality (VR) headsets to take tours of each other’s vibrant spaces.

Upper School Fab Lab

Students in our “Fab Lab” course made intricate lamps from concept to completion. Using Adobe Illustrator, students learned how to produce vector artwork. Next, they were tasked with designing their own tessellations using the program’s mirror mode. After crafting their prototypes, which would form the top and sides of their lamps, the students translated their digital files to physical components. To do this, they turned to a pair of state-of-the-art laser cutters, one in the HCI and the other in the Fab Lab. Their last element was to wire the bulb fixtures.

Class 5 & 6 StarLab

Set up in the HCI by a team from the New York Hall of Science, a portable and inflatable planetarium illuminated the night sky right here at Chapin. While inside, our students learned about constellations as well as Chinese, African, Native American and Greek mythology. During the second half of the lesson, the focus was on the seasons and the sun's path across the sky, the equator, NYC and the North Pole.

Upper School Tech Crew

Class 6 Exoplanets

After learning about extremophiles during science, Class 6 students dove into the study of exoplanets and each student selected one to further research. They then invented their own organism (or “alien”) to live on their chosen planet. The girls began by sketching their creative and realistic ideas before using Tinkercad to bring their alien to life through 3D design. Lastly, inside the HCI, the students built out their planet and its environment with CoSpaces, using their coding skills to incorporate interactive elements. For the project’s culmination, the students toured their peers' vibrant creations using our VR headsets.

The Hayot Center for Innovation (HCI)

"Nothing thrills me more than imagining our students and faculty being beckoned by a space that allows them to be dreamers and creators lost in exploration!"

-Dr. Patricia T. Hayot, Head of School 2003-2020

Named for Chapin's sixth Head of School, Dr. Patricia T. Hayot, the Hayot Center for Innovation (HCI) is a design and innovation lab for students in Kindergarten-Class 12.

Named for Chapin's sixth Head of School,
Dr. Patricia T. Hayot, the Hayot Center for Innovation (HCI) is a design and innovation lab for students in Kindergarten-Class 12.