{"137391":{"#nid":"137391","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Invention Studio Continues Expansion","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImagine a playground perfect for anyone who has never outgrown a love for LEGOs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s what it is like walking into the Georgia Tech Invention Studio, where every surface is filled with equipment or creations from the studio\u2019s participants. From miniature Yoda heads crafted on 3D printers to a miniature wooden bulldozer that would light up the eyes of any toddler, the studio is clearly a hotbed of Georgia Tech students\u2019 creativity and innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EManaged by the Makers Club, the Georgia Tech Invention Studio has been around since 2008, when an old mailroom was transformed into a small machine room. Almost four years later, it has expanded into a 1,000-square-foot space with cutting-edge prototyping equipment that students of all disciplines can use to get real-world designing and building skills.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe studio is now comprised of three separate rooms on the second floor of the Manufacturing Related Discipline Complex containing several high-end pieces of equipment, including a water jet and a hot injection mold machine. The studio recently obtained two additional laser cutters to meet growing student demand. One student expanded the functionality of these cutters by writing a code that enables the machine to cut patterns that can then be assembled into 3-D creations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe cutting-edge tools we have are due to very generous support from the Institute\u2019s student technology fee and from \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/inventionstudio.gatech.edu\/sponsors\/\u0022\u003Ecorporate sponsorship\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d said Craig Forest, mechanical engineering professor and faculty advisor for the Invention Studio. \u201cWe want to send forward inventors and engineers into society by providing a home for design-build education and culture. The studio is a small step in the right direction.\u201d Hands-on education is also a fundamental aspect of the Institute\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gatech.edu\/vision\/projects\/burdell-center-interactive-design\u0022\u003EStrategic Plan\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough originally established to provide mechanical engineering capstone students with a workspace to foster collaboration and efficiency, the Invention Studio welcomes students of all disciplines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEric Weinhoffer, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student and outgoing president of the Makers Club, emphasizes the importance of applying theory learned in the classroom. \u201cBy leveraging the equipment in the Invention Studio, graduates are more desirable job candidates because of their abilities and skills,\u201d Weinhoffer says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EApproximately 50 undergraduate laboratory instructors, or ULIs, staff the lab each week and are available to teach visitors how to use the space\u2019s equipment and resources. Workshop facilitators also volunteer in the studio, teaching techniques and skills in woodworking, knitting, rocketry and other specialized areas. After experimenting with machines and attending workshops, students are eligible to \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/inventionstudio.gatech.edu\/get-involved\/\u0022\u003Eapply\u003C\/a\u003E to become a volunteer ULI or workshop facilitator, and also become a member of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/inventionstudio.gatech.edu\/makersclub\/\u0022\u003EMakers Club\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cKnowing how things are designed makes you a better engineer,\u201d added Chris Quintero, a recent alumnus and staff member in the studio.\u0026nbsp;In February, the White House took an interest in how the studio is doing that, interviewing Quintero and Weinhoffer for its\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/blog\/2012\/02\/28\/making-makers-georgia-tech\u0022\u003EOffice of Science Technology and Policy blog\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps the most unusual characteristic is the student ownership of the space. \u201cI left one weekend and returned to find our new sitting blocks had been vinyl-printed with the studio logo,\u201d Quintero said. ULIs are present in the studio at all hours, hosting holiday events, working on academic projects or designing in their free time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s hard not to get inspired to build something if you hang around there long enough,\u201d said Weinhoffer. Last year, Weinhoffer spearheaded the creation of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/newsroom\/release.html%3Fnid=69751\u0022\u003EAtlanta Mini Makers Faire\u003C\/a\u003E, a celebration of do-it-yourself projects. This year\u2019s event is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 6, on Tech Walk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents interested in learning more about the Invention Studio are encouraged to visit the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/inventionstudio.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E or drop in to meet the ULIs and experiment with the equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Invention Studio, located on the second floor of the MRDC, fosters design inspiration and learning. The equipment and space is open to all students, regardless of major.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Invention Studio, located on the second floor of the MRDC, fosters design inspiration and learning. 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Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"14291","name":"invention studio"},{"id":"36681","name":"laser cutter"},{"id":"14290","name":"makers club"},{"id":"36971","name":"makers fair"},{"id":"541","name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"36951","name":"mold injection"},{"id":"167488","name":"strategic plan"},{"id":"36701","name":"uli"},{"id":"36991","name":"undergraduate laboratory instructors"},{"id":"36711","name":"water jet"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:cforest@gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDr. Craig Forest\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFaculty Advisor, Invention Studio\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:xow@gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EXo Wang\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPresident, Makers Club\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}