In January, 11 Lehigh students participated in the inaugural Maker Bootcamp, a part of the AccelerateX winter program under Lehigh 360’s initiatives, hosted by the Design Labs. Throughout the intense 13-day program, the students harnessed their newly acquired skills to bring imaginative projects to life.
Their mechanical creations, including a precision paper cutter, a pipette machine, a fruit and vegetable cutter and a cupcake decorator, were showcased at the Expo on Thursday, Jan 25.
Brian Slocum, director of the Design Labs and Wilbur Powerhouse, recalled the night before the Expo, highlighting the students' enthusiastic exclamations as their designs came together late into the evening. "This created a joyous soundtrack that I wish could be on repeat within the Wilbur Powerhouse," Slocum said. "It was clear how a continuous, uninterrupted period of time significantly impacted skill development and creativity."
Slocum designed and ran the program in collaboration with Design Labs team members Kelly Zona and Michael Moore. He said the Maker Bootcamp aimed to fully immerse students in an experience that would bolster both their confidence and competence, utilizing as many Design Labs resources as possible.