Parents & Educators: About the Program

Design Squad Program Summary

Season 2 of Design Squad returns to PBS with 13 half-hour episodes starting the week of April 2. Host Nate Ball guides eight new contestants as the teams construct cardboard furniture for IKEA, build hockey net targets for a Boston Bruins player, and design underwater prostheses for an amputee dancer. Working in groups of four, contestants brainstorm, design, build, test, and redesign, before putting their products to the test. Keeping their eyes on the grand prize—a $10,000 college scholarship provided by the Intel Foundation—and their cool when things get hot, Design Squad-ers soon discover that engineering can make anything possible!

At the end of most episodes are “D-Squad Pro Files.” Through these short videos, viewers meet engaging young engineers who demonstrate that engineering is a creative career where you get to work with great people, solve interesting problems, and design things that matter.

Over 13 episodes, eight high school contestants tackle engineering challenges for an actual client—from building a machine that makes pancakes to a "summer sled" for LL Bean. In the final episode, the top two scorers battle for the Grand Prize—a $10,000 college scholarship from the Intel® Foundation.

Educational Philosophy

Engineers have led a technological revolution that has improved the quality of our lives, yet many kids and adults alike do not understand how the technology they use in their daily lives works. They are also unclear about the engineer's role in society or even what an engineer does.

Design Squad is one of the few places on TV where kids can learn about engineering.

The specific educational goals of the Design Squad television series, web site and outreach events are to:

Increase students' knowledge of engineering and the design process

Design Squad will be as hands-on as television can be.

Viewers see Design Squad teams take raw materials and with very little adult intervention, transform them into workable solutions. The series presents kids using technology (such as computers, electronics, and machine tools) to do a wide range of activities that have a scale and complexity that will excite the viewing audience, and motivate them to do these activities on their own.

Improve the public image of engineering

Design Squad presents viewers with positive role models who experience engineering as a fun and engaging process.

The image many still have of engineers is the outdated 'nerds with calculators and pocket protectors.' Design Squad goes a long way to address this. Our diverse cast of high school students are high-energy, smart, and approach the challenges they face with enthusiasm. And not a single one of them wears a pocket protector.

Encourage further exploration

Design Squad is more than just a television series.

The Design Squad Web site extends the concepts presented on the show and provides viewers with an opportunity to explore content through the lens of "engineering as problem-solving using science, math, and technology."

Engineers and educators have partnered with Design Squad to help support kids as they try out the ideas first-hand. These real world experiences give kids a stronger understanding of engineering, equip them with science and math skills, and ultimately lay the foundation they need to participate in engineering activities later in life.