Another Geek Moment: Summer Break Edition Video Series

What do you get when you cross three future engineers with a makerspace? Ashley, Darren, and Haley will be happy to show you. Come back Thursday of each week in September and October to see a new video showcasing their engineering skills.

The second annual Another Geek Moment – Summer Break Edition was filmed in Madison, WI at the UW-Madison Makerspace. We threw the cameras in a suitcase and took a road trip from northern Minnesota to Wisconsin. We met up with the three university students and knew they were a good match from the start. We had them select projects of their choosing that were exciting and relevant to their interests. Once we gave them the parts, we set them free. Check out the videos to see the results.

Here is an introduction to the students. Ashley is a senior electrical engineering student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Darren is also in his senior year as an electrical engineering student from Arizona State University, spending some time out of the heat in Madison with our team. Last but not least, we have Haley from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who is a senior in electrical engineering.

The projects range from a GPS dog tracking device that will overlay the path on Google Maps to an Adafruit Crickit robot that dances, as well as an LED ring that will display specific colors based on the weather outside. These projects can be found on the Maker.io site with in-depth instructions on how to re-create them. The cost to build them are perfect for a student-sized budget and great for makers of all ages.

We would like to give a special thanks to the UW-Madison Makerspace for the use of their facility to film these students and their projects. This Makerspace was in the heart of the university and had everything from 3D printers to laser cutters and soldering stations. This is a student-ran facility who were all great and very helpful to work with. We would also like to thank our friends at Adafruit who originally created these projects and show the world that anyone can create original ideas.

Make sure you check back each week for the updated video, each premiering within the next few weeks. We had a lot of fun creating these videos and we hope you enjoy them. Be sure to check out these projects and more at Maker.io.

If you are a college or university student, make sure you sign-up for the DigiKey #DKBack2School GiveawayI You could win a DigiKey Instalab along with enough gear (and swag!) to turn your dorm room into your own personal makerspace! Details and how to enter: DigiKey.com/Back2School