How One High School Teacher and an Invention Project Made All the Difference
Now a satellite orbital analyst, Ford Grundberg used to intentionally blow off his schoolwork. Then an invention education experience changed his life.
Ford Grundberg was a sophomore in high school in Natick, Massachusetts, when he met Doug Scott. It was during a study hall, and Mr. Scott was the teacher overseeing the students. “At that point in my life,” says Ford, “I think the most polite way to say it is, I wasn’t living up to my full potential.”
Early on, Ford had been interested in math and science, and his dream was to become an astronaut. But in high school, he was grappling with the uncertainty and changes in his life after his parents’ divorce.
He took control in the best way he knew how — by deliberately not doing his schoolwork. But the tide shifted when Ford joined Mr. Scott’s robotics invention class and became involved in a project for the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams initiative.
The task was to invent something that benefitted their community, and the team decided to design a submersible search and rescue robot to help the local fire department. Their hometown had multiple ponds that would freeze during the winter, and the fire department was often called on to investigate potential cases of people falling through the ice. So the team invented a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that could safely approach cracks in the ice, and then submerge a second ROV detection device to conduct the search.
The team went on to great success — from creating a working prototype to showcasing it at the 2014 White House Science Fair to eventually earning a patent for their invention. Ford cites Mr. Scott’s classroom, which used a form of project-based learning called Invention Education, as a critical turning point. And he credits Mr. Scott’s unique brand of mentorship for developing the confidence he needed to live up to his potential.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we talked to Ford about the high school teacher that changed his life and helped set him on his path to success.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What was Mr. Scott like as a teacher? How did he have an impact on you?
He never told me what I wanted to hear — he told me what he actually thought my potential was. Once I heard about the project for Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, it just clicked — this is something that is cool that I want to do. He told me no. And that was the first time a teacher had ever told me no
I had not done anything to prove to him that I would be of value to that team. And that moment was really kind of the turning point. But he didn’t just say no, he gave me an opportunity to earn it. If you really want this, prove to me that you deserve it and that you’ll dedicate yourself to it. So that’s what I did.
How did that change your attitude toward school?
I started actually making sure I was going to all of his classes. And when I was there, I was trying, I was getting engaged, I was working with the other students on the project. And eventually, I got his permission to dedicate more of my time before or after school or other study periods to actually work on the project.
What was different about the invention experience from your other classes?
No one ever talks about how to learn, how to discover. They tell you what you need to know for standardized tests, and they teach you the material around that. Having an environment where you are given the freedom to learn how to learn — that was huge. It was the first time that I felt like I was living at my potential.
I was actually having fun learning, and wanting to go out of my way to wake up early and make this thing successful. And as far as building the robot, it was just so cool — to work on the design, see our ideas come to life, and have that first time in my life where you’re with people of the same mentality that you can communicate with and bounce ideas off of and argue with, and then ultimately come to conclusion and see your collective success.
And that skill set that I was able to develop there is something I still have now. Having Mr. Scott there to help us guide our conversations — but never give us an answer — was tremendously valuable.
What did it feel like to see that project experience the success it did?
When I was working on it, before I really knew the impact it would have, I think of the hours that we would spend after school and before school, listening to music, having a good time, coming up with these crazy ideas and trying to make it work. And having no idea the level of impact that it would have on me today.
The first real moment where I was in awe of what we did, and tremendously proud of what we did, is when we actually got to go to Lemelson-MIT’s Eureka Fest and present the ROV and meet inventors and some of the most brilliant people in the world.
How did that moment change things for you?
At the same time period of InvenTeam, I was contemplating joining the Air Force. But the level of effort I put into my schoolwork at that point in time was so minimal. And if I didn’t have something to help me break those bad habits, I have no idea where I would be. And so having Mr. Scott as my teacher and mentor at that time period in my life gave me the confidence to join and to do something with my life. And it gave me that first bit of success I ever had.
It really affected everything about my life moving forward. I don’t ever want to get complacent again. There are moments where I’m not living up to my potential, and then I draw back to this. I actually have, thankfully enough, a plaque of the invention patent someone made for me.
What did you do after graduation?
I just got out of the Air Force in February. I was an orbital analyst for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program. Now I am working directly with Northrop Grumman in the same line of work, still doing orbital analyst work and satellite engineering and product development. So I’m not an astronaut, but I’m closer than I was.
What would you tell other teachers today about the lasting impact they can have on students’ lives?
You can’t only coddle your students. Mr. Scott treated students with respect as individuals and made them individually accountable for their actions, and also accountable for their potential. You need to do more than just believe in them. You need to actually help them get to the place you believe they could be. Mr. Scott gave me a purpose, and then once I started showing a little bit of effort, he said, okay, now take that effort and put it towards this.
What would you say to Mr. Scott now?
Well, first thing I would say is thank you, first and foremost. I want to tell him that what he did for me — the effort he put into me personally and the opportunity he gave me — it was worth it. And I carry what you’ve taught me to this day.
In 2020, Doug Scott was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
