Makers

Low-cost, readily deployable respirators could help frontline healthcare workers

04/15/20 — Engineers develop powered air-purifying respirators that can be rapidly manufactured using widely available components

CITRIS Invention Lab opens to produce COVID-19 supplies

04/03/20 CITRIS — Makerspaces on campus allowed to operate to support projects in response to the pandemic.

Sally Floyd, who helped things run smoothly online, dies at 69

09/05/19 New York Times — Sally Floyd (Ph.D '89, EECS) was one of the inventors of Random Early Detection, which continues to play a vital role in the stability of the internet. She passed away on August 25.

Oki Karaoke founders Aayush Tyagi, Luofei Chen and Noah Adriany

Can’t sing? These undergrads have a karaoke booth just for you

04/16/19 — A trio of undergraduates, including M.E.T. freshman Luofei Chen and EECS junior Aayush Tyagi, have launched Oki Karaoke, a startup that hopes to bring soundproof karaoke pods, already popular across Asia, to the United States.

Meet the future engineers

03/12/19 — About 350 students from across the East Bay descended on the Berkeley campus last weekend for Engineering for Kids (E4K), a one-day science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) event for low-income fourth- to sixth-grade students. The annual event is organized and hosted entirely by Berkeley students.

Young interns in the CITRIS Invention Lab

Young interns design and create in CITRIS Invention Lab

07/16/18 CITRIS — Teenagers from Bay Area junior high and high schools are spending two weeks in the CITRIS Invention Lab this summer, using things like laster cutters and 3D printers to spread their maker wings and fly.

The HAB project: A platform for space research

04/30/18 — The student group Space Technologies at Cal is developing a balloon-based platform for near-space research. They recently launched a high-altitude balloon from Memorial Glade.

Behind the scenes with PREP

10/23/17 — Matthew Brueckmann (ME'15) found his calling early - he wanted to be an amusement park engineer. This summer, he returned to campus to lead a tour of California's Great America so that PREP participants could learn about the science and technology behind the scream-inducing machines.

PREP by design

10/23/17 — Electrical engineering and computer science freshman, Rebecca Chery, reflects on the lessons learned during a design challenge undertaken as part of the college's PREP program.

Working on projects on laptops at Jacobs Hall

Inside the studio: Teaching design innovation

07/12/17 Jacobs Institute — Two years on from the opening of Jacobs Hall, faculty share a look at how they're bringing design innovation into the classroom, fostering creativity and collaboration.

3-D printers and the future of tissue engineering

04/27/17 Medium — The Fung Institute sat down with mechanical engineering professor Grace O'Connell to discuss her research into engineering complex tissues and cartilage with the help of a 3-D printer.

Students on a Tikkun Olam Makeover team that created a special glove that will allow a man who has little use of his hands to communicate with his computer.

Cal students pull a marathon to engineer disability solutions

03/23/17 Jewish News of Northern California — Fueled by energy drinks, adrenaline and a strong sense of wanting to make the world better, 11 teams of Berkeley students spent last weekend at Jacobs Hall, working with people with disabilities to create devices that could improve their lives.

Scott Silva and Nicole Panditi with a pile of plastic 3-D printer waste.

As 3-D printing grows, so does need to reclaim plastic waste

02/17/17 — With more than 100 3-D printers on campus, at least 600 pounds of plastic trash is generated each year. Undergraduates Nicole Panditi, a mechanical engineering senior, and Scott Silva, a CNR junior, have a solution.

Girls in Engineering camper works on a 3D-printed prosthetic hand

Young makers build prosthetic hands for children in need

07/15/16 — During the college's weeklong Girls in Engineering program, young makers build kid-size prosthetic hands from 3-D-printed parts to donate to children in need.

Berkeley and San Diego explore future of engineering education through making

07/01/16 California Council on Science & Technology — UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, both located in world-renowned hubs of engineering education and high-tech innovation, have both invested in facilities that break the mold of traditional engineering education, looking to the Maker movement for inspiration.

frugal cast prototype, made from soda bottle and shoelace

An ecosystem of impact

05/17/16 Medium — After a semester in which nearly 30 courses took place in Jacobs Hall, the Jacobs Spring Design Showcase offered a look at how an interdisciplinary ecosystem at Berkeley is fostering a focus on design for real impact.

Arduino Day: Underwater robots, R/C trains and more

04/08/16 Make — Arduino’s founders and fans gathered at Jacobs Hall on April 2 for Arduino Day, a worldwide celebration of the open-source electronics platform that allowed makers and enthusiasts to show off their projects, share ideas and participate in workshops.