Marlborough’s own New England Innovation Academy (NEIA) will make its TV debut this weekend.
The academy, which opened its doors in 2021, will appear on an episode of CBS’s America ByDesign. In its third season, the show features companies and organizations from across the U.S. who have brought to life game-changing innovations.
In each episode, several competitors showcase their work and a group of design industry leaders decide who goes through to the top 10. In the final episode of the season, a single winner is chosen. The New England Innovation Academy’s episode airs Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the CBS News Streaming Network and will also be available online.
The season’s broad innovation theme allows for a diverse group of competitors. NEIA will be the only school to appear on the show this season. The other companies in its episode will be Democratizing Home Design, Keter's Sustainable Material Innovations and Savic Motorcycles.
Matt Kressy, head of innovation and founding trustee at NEIA, helped bring the academy to life. Kressy was the founding director of MIT’s integrated design and management graduate program.
His vision was to create a human-centered design school. One of human-centered design’s main principles is learning about what people want and need before designing solutions. Kressy said he used these same principles and interviewed kids, parents and teachers when creating NEIA.
“The reason I’m doing this school is because that process of human-centered design, not only does it make innovation and entrepreneurship better for those doing it and better for the world, but it also is a way of thinking and problem solving. And it’s a way of doing things for other people that becomes habitual,” Kressy said. “And my dream is that this idea of human-centered design gets adopted by all schools.”
Another important part of NEIA’s approach is less focus on memorizing information. Kressy said this skill was important before the digital age, but now that people can look up information online, it should be a less important part of education.
“The question isn’t so much how do we do something. That’s what it used to be,” Kressy said. “And now the question is, what do we do? What do we do that has the most value to our customers? What do we do that has the most value to society? What do we do that solves a complex or troubling social problem? And how do we do that in a way that’s beautiful and that’s inspiring and that builds enthusiasm in other people.”
The America ByDesign episode will also feature NEIA’s Innovation Studio where students put human-centered design into practice by creating new products and experiences. Students sketch models, test those models and gather feedback. Their goal is to discover whether their solutions are desirable, feasible and viable, Kressy said.
Eventually, students move onto learning about reproducing products at scale, building a business model, and creating a supply chain and distribution. NEIA also has a makerspace so students can create real-life versions of their products.
NEIA serves grades 6-12 and has about 100 students enrolled, Kressy said. Tuitition rates for the 2022-2023 academic year for day students are $40,425 for grades 6-8 and $44,625 for grades 9-12. Residential students’ tuition is $61,425 for grades 6-8 and $65,625 for grades 9-12. NEIA says it offers need-based financial assistance.
