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A new course offered at Nebraska Innovation Studio on Nebraska Innovation Campus

Making for Innovation

This spring semester, Shane Farritor, PhD and Liana Owad, MFA will be teaching “Making for Innovation” which will cover techniques used to bring ideas to reality. This will be the first class to meet at Nebraska Innovation Studio – the UNL makerspace – located on Nebraska Innovation Campus.

The course is built on two basic ideas. The first is that building and hands-on problem solving are important paths to innovation. The act of building prototypes and physical models leads to improved creative thinking and is in important path to the conception of new products and designs. Secondly, much innovation occurs at the boundary between humanities and technology.

This cross-disciplinary hands-on course will focus on physical construction with small weekly projects and will culminate in the building, testing, and presentation of a significant physical design project. Topics may include:

  • Introduction to computer-aided design (CAD)
  • Design Thinking, Principals of design
  • Computer-controlled cutting (laser cutting, CNC router)
  • 3D scanning and printing
  • Computer-controlled machining
  • Mold Making
  • Embedded programming and microcontrollers
  • Fabrication with textiles
  • Sensors and actuators
  • Electronics Production and PCB manufacturing
  • Mechanical design, machine design
  • Project management and Project communication

Registration is by permission only and the course size will be limited. Students who wish to take the course should send a half-page email to sfarritor@unl.edu with two paragraphs stating (1) why you want to take the course and (2) describing your background of making.

There are no formal prerequisites, and while the class is listed as MECH 498/898, it is open to students of all majors and grade levels. This is an interdisciplinary course; non-engineering students are strongly encouraged to participate. The class will meet Tuesdays from 2:30 to 4 for instruction and Thursdays for a hands-on lab. Additional open lab time will also be arranged.

The class has the following call numbers:

MECH 498 Section 012 – Call number 25189

MECH 898 Section 012 – Call number 25288