The RED (Research, Entrepreneurship, and Design) Expo is an open house where students showcase the work they have put into projects and things they are passionate about. On Wednesday, May 8, over 50 students presented their specialties, from art pieces and internships, to different clubs and extracurriculars.
The RED program was first started as an academic program at BSM to support classes with collaborative, hands-on learning experiences that parallel the modern workplace, such as biomedical classes. It helped introduce the product design classes and shed more light on the engineering classes. “The first RED Expo [in 2021] was a smaller event, and it was meant to showcase these classes. Then the next year, we made it a bigger event,” Dr. Steve Pohlen, RED and EPIC (Explore, Partner, Inspire, Connect) Internship Coordinator, said.
The second RED Expo was a much bigger event in 2023, and the third in 2024. Now, the RED Expo is for any students who want to share their work about something they are passionate about. For students to participate in the event, teachers nominated students or students could talk to Dr. Pohlen. “We started including other things because now it’s a celebration of all those things students are doing. It’s to celebrate students’ work rather than their grades,” Pohlen said.
Sophomores Jae Benham and Miya Hudson participated in a marketing internship set up through BSM and presented what they learned at the RED Expo. “It was a marketing internship with Colle McVoy. We made a social media campaign for them. Miya and I are sharing our presentation and will talk to people about it. They can also ask us questions,” Benham said.
It’s for parents to come to see what all their kids have done, and also for [families] new to BSM to come to see what all these kids have done
— Jason Broin
Extracurricular activities such as Mock Trial, Knowledge Bowl, Quiz Bowl, and Model UN also had tables at the RED Expo. There were art students, theology students, and business students all presenting about things they were passionate about.
Anyone could attend the RED Expo. In the future, many more students and family members are encouraged to come. “It’s for parents to come to see what all their kids have done, and also for [families] new to BSM to come to see what all these kids have done,” sophomore Jason Broin, who presented about Model UN, said.
Pohlen is proud of the students who stepped up for this event and is excited to see what will happen in the future. “What’s most exciting for me is for students to talk about their work and to be proud of their work instead of a grade. And when you think about it ultimately, what we’re all here for is to get [students] ready for the real world. And in the real world, you don’t get grades, you have to work hard,” Pohlen said.