Friday, August 21, 2026
Engineers and theater students tackle stage design in partnership with TAIT
College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University: “The structure of the course mirrors the workflow of professional entertainment engineering projects,” said Hines, associate teaching professor of production technology and management. “They must consider engineering constraints and a budget while crafting designs.”
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This class, from what I have heard, was a great way for different students to not only get to ideate solutions for real world scenarios, but to also learn about how other students in different disciplines are taught. Combining students from engineering and theater allows for a good example of how working with people from different backgrounds can help provide new perspectives on a project that can lead to a more thought out solution. For some of the engineering students a chance to work on something within the entertainment industry can provide ideas of different paths that they can take after graduation and moving forward in their careers that they otherwise may not have known about. It can also be satisfying to see how something that students are working on in classes is being taken and used in real world scenarios. I definitely think that this class would have been completely different if it was run by either department individually, but due to the multidisciplinary nature of the class it was able to be a greater success than it could have been otherwise.
At my high school we had Hackathons. Students from six through 12th grade. We get together on a Saturday in the gym to hack solutions to problems in the world. Each year they’d be centered around a different theme like climate change. As you would expect for most middle schoolers the solutions weren’t always the most practical, but they were imaginative. After six hours of researching within preassigned groups, many a free pastry and icebreaker later. Groups would present their idea to a panel of judges, all professionals from that field in the San Diego area or alums. Alas, my group never won, but one of my best friends did one year. As fun as this weekend was, it felt somewhat meaningless. We’d all get the exercise in problem-solving and thinking about the problems of the world around us, but ultimately it wouldn’t go anywhere. What’s so cool about this collaboration with Tate and CMU Drama in engineering is potential for implications outside of class. Groups spent the entire semester prototyping and troubleshooting to build something that could actually be patented and used in the world. Making the classroom mean something.
I think that this is a very wonderful idea that can lead to a lot more problem solving in the future. By having current students–the future of designers–working with engineers on issues within the theatre world is such a great way to collaborate while also making design work more efficient. I really liked how the article conveyed the two different fields coming together to make anew. It also seems to be very beneficial for both parties, engineers can explore issues and solutions in a way that they might have not been exposed to yet, while the designers get to think about how these issues impact their wants and get to apply that mindset to make future designs work. To have companies like TAIT be willing to sponsor these collaborations is also very cool. The company seems to be very familiar with the concept of a complicated design, it can be very helpful to the students to make this important connection to the industry.
I think this article perfectly describes the spirit of interdisciplinary work that CMU strives for. It's really important for students to interact with others outside of their discipline. Drama students are constantly around each other, and it's hard to get out of Purnell with the amount of work we have. This class is a great way to prepare students for working with people in different fields, and also inspire new friendships and connections. I appreciate that the class also collaborated with an industry company because it gives students a chance to experience the work flow of the real world. It also provides opportunities for networking and has the chance of leading to internships for students. I also think it is cool that the students were able to create something that may end up being used by people in the industry. These experiences build a lot of confidence in the students and inspire them to keep creating.
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