SEP Session 3, Day 4 Field Trip

This morning students in "Imagination and Invention" visited a shoe factory in Charlottesville! Dr. Casey Kerrigan, a Harvard Medicine graduate and former UVA professor, developed OESH shoes after spending twenty years conducting research on human motion while walking and running. She found that a flat bottom shoe with a wide toe base provides the best support. She transformed her findings into her own shoe brand. She built her own 3D printers to create the shoes. The students loved watching the printers in action!

The shoes are printed with a honeycomb design inside to create a spring effect before a final, flat layer is printed on top.

The students also watched an employee use a laser cuter to create the sandal straps. Then, he assembled the sandals using the 3D printed soles

Dr. Kerrigan even left the students try on a few pairs! Everyone agreed that her shoes were incredibly comfy.

At the end of the tour, the students presented Dr. Kerrigan with a thank you card!

To learn more about Dr. Kerrigan and OESH Shoes, visit oeshshoes.com