Tech is one of the most ingenious campuses in the world. Some of the brightest minds in the nation employ their ingenuity in a variety of ways, innovating in every sphere.
Though Tech may be noted for students’ work inside the classroom, any student here can tell you the unique ways they applied themselves outside of the classroom.
Ingenuity presents itself in many forms. There’s ingenuity in the sense of time optimization and in creating tools to complete everyday tasks. Every aspect of ingenuity deserves recognition, no matter how large or small.
Some students put their ingenuity to work for them in the hopes of making some money; often creating something they saw a need for.
“I made a soundboard app of the many sounds of the comedian Gabriel Iglesias,” said Nick Mathews, a first-year CS major. “[Iglesias] has some really funny sounds and there weren’t any other apps.”
By combining his interests, Nick created something unique that has the possibility of making him some money.
There are others that put their ingenuity to work for aesthetic purposes.
“My roommate and I took an old vinyl record we found in the trash and turned it into a clock by baking it on a cookie sheet at 275 degrees to warp it, molded it to our liking, and let it cool, repeating several times until our desired shape was reached. Then, we bought a cheap clock at IKEA, dismantled it and the center of the record turned into the face of our clock. Plug in some batteries and BAM!, you have a clock that looks like Dali himself painted it,” said Sean Tighe, a first-year MSE major.
While some create masterpieces, others create the party ambiance. “I made a light system for my annual New Year’s Eve party. I put a low-pass filter on my ear buds and attached it to a transistor. The transistor switched current to some LEDs which flashed to the beat of the music,” said Colin Baxter, a first-year AE major.
Then there are some who put their ingenuity to a more practical use. “I finally figured out how the AC works in my dorm room,” said Carl Houde, a first-year ECE major.
“I helped my friend test a remote control golf cart over winter break,” said Eric Aulet, a third-year AE major.
“We built custom furniture for our apartment and installed backlight features and now everyone who visits can leave their mark with a highlighter, like a big wooden guest book,” said Paco Swift, a second-year CM major.
As is apparent from these cases, there is no limit to how ingenious students at Tech can be in their solutions to even simple everyday problems.
Go tackle a problem that’s bothering you. Figure out a way to make some money or create something fantastic that will make neighbors envious.