Steve Krak

I joined the Denison team in September 2017 as the Red Frame Coordinator where I am responsible for continued development of the Red Frame Lab, leading workshops, facilitating design studios, and mentoring students. The Red Frame Lab is Denison’s unique space in Slayter where students can hone their problem-solving skills or tackle a specific challenge they might be working on with their friends. Design thinking is a powerful tool in our toolbox for breaking down challenges using critical steps: Listen - Reframe - Imagine - Prototype - Iterate - Inspire. Example challenges have already included improved recycling, getting news to students, designing events and parties, and designing multiple career paths. Others come into the Lab for help with presentation skills or designing better meetings. The Red Frame Lab is a resource for staff and faculty as well, and projects are underway.

I began my career at Battelle, the world’s largest independent R&D organization right in our own back yard, as an intern while an engineering student at The Ohio State University, and I remained at Battelle for 25 years. I was a lab rat in photonics and microfabrication, a program & people manager, an international business developer, and an intellectual property manager. Every project exposed me to experts in other disciplines including immunology, systems engineering, quantum computing, test & measurement, string theory, materials, coding, the environment, and many more. I spent four years as the founding Program Manager of the Ohio STEM Learning Network, a design-centered statewide education initiative in partnership with numerous public and private partners.

I left Battelle to pursue that other passion of mine, education. I joined a team working in Egypt to design and stand up the first STEM high schools in their public school system. I worked with students, teachers, principals, and national ministry officials, co-designing, mentoring, and training. I led the implementation of a truly unique capstone course where students practiced an engineering design process as they attacked Egypt’s Grand Challenges while making explicit use of what they learned in other classes.

With a full career in engineering and eight years in educational consulting, my professional background has centered on facilitating dialogue around creative problem-solving. I am excited to bring this experience to Denison and build new strengths as I learn from students, staff and faculty.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing my saxes and a nerdy-cool MIDI wind synthesizer.