| Education Technology | Instructional Design | Learning Experience Design | Expert STE(A)M Educator | Applied AI Engineer
| Education Technology | Instructional Design | Learning Experience Design | Expert STE(A)M Educator | Applied AI Engineer
Brenda’s Portfolio
What happens when an industrial engineer falls in love with STEM education? You get learning systems that actually work. Brenda Adames has spent 10+ years designing curriculum, building maker programs, and optimizing the systems behind them — from hospital process improvement to city-wide STEM initiatives serving thousands of learners across generations and cultures.
Not every student thrives in a traditional classroom. Through Rhode Island's All Course Network, Brenda designed three credit-bearing courses that sparked students innate interests and passions — an E-Commerce program that turned business ideas into real plans, a STEAM Summer Adventure internship that brought making to life, and a hands-on Robotics Workshop using micro:bit that introduced students to the world of coding and engineering — all built to align with RIDE standards.
Learning Experience (LX) Design
FabNewport was tasked with transforming the city of Providence, RI through PVD Young Makers. As Learning Experience Design Lead, Brenda architected the curriculum, trained the trainers, and designed the systems that turned 10 public libraries into thriving STEAM hubs.
Curriculum Design
e-learning design
Busy makerspace sessions with 20–25 patrons and a small team of teen interns meant one thing: Brenda couldn't be everywhere at once. To scale her reach without sacrificing quality, she designed PPL Workshop 101: a self-paced, asynchronous e-learning course built in Articulate 360 for the Providence Public Library. Spanning 8 modules, the course empowers patrons to independently learn equipment. Covering everything from jewelry making and fiber arts to 3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl customization, and robotic engineering through interactive click-throughs, video walkthroughs, and scenario-based quizzes.
Engineering design
Brenda's approach to learning design isn't just creative — it's engineered. Long before she was designing curricula, she was solving complex systems problems as an industrial engineer. At LeanBox, a Boston-based healthy food startup, Brenda tackled a real supply chain challenge: fresh food waste caused by unpredictable demand across self-serve workplace kiosks. The team designed an Excel-based forecasting tool that calculated optimal restocking points using historical sales data by location, resulting in an average yearly cost savings of 37% and earning the 2016 Design Award from Northeastern University.
Graphic design
Brenda brings a visual design sensibility to everything she creates, from learning materials and slide decks to full brand identities. Her graphic design work spans product branding, e-commerce, and packaging.