D-Lab: Discovery is a fun, hands-on seminar for first semester freshmen that aims to keep the fire of creativity alive in engineering. While much of the freshmen curriculum is focused on learning concepts and processes, Discovery guides students through the exploration of what it means to be a creative thinker; homework prompts and introductory materials are interwoven with international development issues to expose the students to the challenges and opportunities that fuel D-Lab's mission and goals. We explore different materials and introduce the respective basic tool skills as we push the students' perceptions of what it means to "create" something. Featuring prominently in the classtime, students share their last week's work with the class to share their ideas while also learning from each of their peers. The students have been excited to get dirty while working, continually apply the skills in ways we did not imagine, and amaze us with their insight and excitement as they incorporate these creative skills into their work.
