Designing and making for an interplanetary future

In a new course series from the ASU Interplanetary Initiative, students learn the basics of technology development in makerspaces

December 2, 2022

Students who enroll in designing and making courses with the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University get more than the typical classroom experience.

Designing and making courses include IPI 241: Designing and Making for an Interplanetary Future and IPI 341: Designing and Making (3D Printing and Fabrication). In each course, students learn tools and processes for solving global and interplanetary problems, with special consideration given to how technologies impact society. Man wearing glasses and headphones smiles while holding up a small hand-held fan. Juan Rico-Alarcon, an engineering management major and ASU Online student, made The College Student Budget Fan, a hand-held fan built inside a toilet paper roll, for an assignment in a designing and making course. Photo courtesy Juan Rico-Alarcon Download Full Image

Through a series of hands-on, practical assignments, students gain basic proficiency in the mechanical, electrical, computer programming and design aspects of technology development in makerspaces. Students from all majors and all skill levels are invited to enroll in these classes, which are offered both online and in person.

This semester, there are students from 14 different majors enrolled in IPI 241.

For one assignment in the course, students are asked to use their newly developed technical skills to build a solution to a problem in their everyday lives. Codi Bottrell, a technological leadership major and ASU Online student, created a motion sensor night light for the bathroom that looks like a decorative plant. When you walk into the room, it lights up, and then turns off after 10 minutes of not sensing movement.

“I think it's incredibly important to learn the actual application of the science we learn in other courses, so that we can effectively lead teams developing technology in the future. My favorite part of the class was tinkering with the circuit design and actually building the projects,” said Bottrell.

For the same assignment, Juan Rico-Alarcon, an engineering management major and ASU Online student, made The College Student Budget Fan, a hand-held fan built inside a toilet paper roll.

"This was a pretty amazing exercise," Rico-Alarcon said. "I had a great time pulling everything out and getting it all set up. I was anxiously awaiting this activity, as it is pretty hands-on and very involved. It was really neat trying different ways to solder to make sure it wasn't overly globby or too little. I found it fascinating how the metal looked as it melted."

The skills Bottrell gained in this class helped unlock her creative confidence when it comes to solving problems with technology.

Faux plant in a vase in a bathroom emitting a motion sensor light.

Codi Bottrell, a technological leadership major and ASU Online student, created a motion sensor night light for the bathroom that looks like a decorative plant.

Photo courtesy Codi Bottrell

Stuffed gingerbread man with red lights in its eyes.

Kendall Johnston, an on-ground earth and space exploration (astrobiology and biogeosciences) student, made a “creepy gingerbread” toy with light-up eyes.

Photo courtesy Kendall Johnston

Jonah Pililaau, an on-ground film and media production student, designed and printed an attachment for his phone that allows him to construct LEGO creations.

Photo courtesy Jonah Pililaau

“I have the confidence to create my own technology now," Bottrell said. "I'm currently working on a curtain retraction system to wake me up in the morning. It's very cool to understand how the physical components interact with the programming in C++ and the Arduino board to create a system that controls a specific function. I can't wait to think of more useful technologies to create.”

The instructor and designer of the course is Interplanetary Initiative Lecturer Eric Stribling.

"This course is great for any student interested in developing technology, whether that's building cool gadgets at home or developing new space technologies in a corporate environment. You'll leave this class with both makerspace skills and a view towards how technology is actually developed in the real world,” Stribling said.

The designing and making courses are designed with teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach in mind.

“I try to incorporate teamwork into my course because today’s technologies are so complex that no one single person understands all the different components. For example, the International Space Station required the contributions of engineers, doctors, lawyers, linguists and even artists working together across the globe. Those pieces of technology development — design thinking, hands-on making and teamwork — all come together in this course,” said Stribling.

Get connected

The designing and making courses are a part of the technological leadership major, minor and interdisciplinary studies (IDS) concentration offered by the Interplanetary Initiative.

Interested students can look for IPI 241: Designing and Making for an Interplanetary Future in the fall and IPI 341: Designing and Making (3D Printing and Fabrication) in the spring. Students majoring in BS programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences can also earn science and society credit when they enroll in IPI 241 and IPI 341.

In addition, students who complete the designing and making courses are well-prepared to take advantage of the technologies made available in the Interplanetary Laboratory. For more information on working in the laboratory, please contact interplanetary@asu.edu.

Students with questions about these courses or adding the technological leadership major, minor or IDS concentration can email TechLeadership@asu.edu.

Sally Young

Senior Communications Specialist, Interplanetary Initiative

Syoung35@asu.edu

Linguistics graduate accentuates the positive

Graduating ASU student Joonwon Lee poses for a selfie in front of fall foliage.

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2022 graduates.While traveling around the U.K, South Korean-born Joonwon Lee admits to having a hard time understanding English accents, especially in Scotland. When he arrived at Arizona State University to begin his doctoral studies in 2018, he encountered even more difficulties understanding international students’ ...

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Linguistics graduate accentuates the positive

December 2, 2022

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2022 graduates.

While traveling around the U.K, South Korean-born Joonwon Lee admits to having a hard time understanding English accents, especially in Scotland. When he arrived at Arizona State University to begin his doctoral studies in 2018, he encountered even more difficulties understanding international students’ English accents. Having been a student in English education, he was embarrassed and frustrated. Graduating ASU student Joonwon Lee poses for a selfie in front of fall foliage. Graduating ASU doctoral student Joonwon Lee gives some sage advice on persevering: "No one knows how your academic journey will go. However, without trying, you will not have a chance to see how your academic journey ends." Download Full Image

But Lee persevered and turned his frustration into inspiration. During his studies and research, he learned about learning transferLearning transfer is the process by which people apply something they have learned in a new context. and thought that it would be a key concept in developing Korean English-as-a-Foreign-Language — or EFL — learners’ listening comprehension. His dissertation, “Listen to the World: Developing Korean High School EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension of Various Accents through Learning Transfer,” which he successfully defended on October 28, is about how to improve Korean English learners’ listening comprehension of various accents of English. He is graduating from ASU this fall with a PhD in linguistics and applied linguistics.

“I have a strong belief that Korean EFL learners should be exposed to various English accents in order for them to succeed in the globalized world,” said Lee.

For the past seven years, Lee has also worked as an assistant managing editor for the Journal of Asia TEFL. While working for the journal, he could see the trends in the field. He also recognized the qualities of an acceptable publishable paper. This experience helped him to get his own work published in journals. And best of all, “communicating with researchers all over the world, I could cultivate myself as a researcher in the field.” He highly recommends graduate students work in academic journals or conferences to gain beneficial professional experience.

Here, Lee talks about his ASU grad school experience and his goals for the future.

Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study in your field?

Answer: In university, I majored in English education and was supposed to be an English teacher. However, when I was a senior, I was not sure whether I could handle teenagers and teach them English well. Also, I decided to study English education to help English teachers teach their students more efficiently instead of being an English teacher myself. Therefore, I decided to study more in graduate school.

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you, that changed your perspective?

A: Classes at ASU surprised me with a lot of reading assignments. In fact, when I was studying for my master’s degree in Korea, I did not have many chances to read research articles. However, professors at ASU gave students a lot of reading assignments which helped me to develop the ability to think about topics by myself and also to think about how to deal with the topics in case I would investigate the topic.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: About 17 years ago, my mom participated in a teacher-training program in Korea and the program included an abroad practicum session. Through the program, my mom spent a month at ASU and she still has good memories of that time in Arizona. So, she recommended that I apply to ASU and I decided to go to ASU as soon as I got admission, which was one of the best decisions I have made.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: (Associate Professor of English) Mark James is the professor who led me to be interested in the topic of learning transfer. Although I had studied English education in Korea, I was not sure how to help Korean EFL learners to develop their English ability required in the globalized world. However, taking classes from Professor James, I recognized the concept of learning transfer and that it would be an effective way to help Korean EFL learners and teachers to improve their English ability for authentic situations.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Just do it! You might not be sure whether you have been doing appropriately and whether you will be able to do well. Of course, no one knows how your academic journey will go. However, without trying, you will not have a chance to see how your academic journey ends. So, just do it!

Q: What was your favorite spot for power studying?

A: I spent much time studying in Noble Library. I am a person who needs caffeine a lot while studying, so Noble Library, which has Starbucks on the first floor, was the best place for me to study. Also, the library was not far from my apartment.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I want to get a teaching position in a university. As mentioned, I decided to go to graduate school because I wanted to help Korean English teachers to improve themselves in teaching Korean EFL learners. Therefore, I am searching for a job in university in Korea.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: If I received $40 million to solve one problem, I would spend the money to deal with English teaching all over the world. In the globalized world, English is being used as an international language — that makes it possible for people from different language backgrounds to communicate with each other. However, it is not the case that all the people in the world can have appropriate chances to learn English. Therefore, I would like to spend the money to provide equal and fair chances for people in the world to learn English.

Written by Sheila Luna