Tayler Furlow – STEMedia.org

Optical Illusions and Art

March 5, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

When thinking of artistic expression we have been conditioned to believe that it is completely separate from “left brain” engagement. As if the correct way to produce art is to utilize only a certain area of the brain and personality, this could not be further from the truth. Ask a painter or sketch artist about the angles of light on a subject or how to render the contours and shapes of a person’s face onto their canvas, ask a mix media artist about the technical setup of their display or a fashion designer about the importance of understanding measurement and the human body and you will draw a wholly different conclusion! Breaking down these perceived barriers are artists like Akinori Goto whose work with 3D printing and light is displayed in the video below.

By using these tools and the Zoetrope effect the artist has created optical illusions and moving sculptures. Check it out!

Creative

3-D Printed Concrete Castle

March 5, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

Imagine a future where affordable housing is just as simple as an architect designing a house and then printing it. While it may not be that simple in execution, it may be in concept with the scientific advancements of 3-D printing!

By this point we’ve all encountered some form of 3-D printing be it a new printing machine at school or even brought up in your favorite TV shows or medical dramas… But just how far could this revolutionary idea take us?? In this video from INSIDER Andrey Rudenko set out the answer that very question. Andrey developed a way to build a castle using 3-D printing! Once you see how well it works I’m sure you’ll be wanting to see when you can move into your own 3-D printed house, or even castle – you never know!!

STEM Media

Intel’s Rock Star

March 5, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

The true genius of an advertisement is to become so commonplace that even people who do not use or know of your product know your brand. Intel has done something perhaps more ingenious. Like inventors behind the aglet (shoelace tip) or the paper coffee cup holder the inventions at Intel were destined to be used daily and forgotten if not for marketing that worked extremely well. It is no coincidence that when you envision your PC or Mac that you may have passing thoughts of the Intel symbol, find yourself humming the distinctive jingle or even have a brief memory of their commercials. They have created some impactful advertisements to get you to not only remember who they are but retain some of what they actually do.

In the video above they once again hit it out of the park! Liking the person who help to create the USB (universal serial bus) to that of a Rockstar is an interesting way to convey importance not only of the invention and the inventor but of the technology itself. In just 30 seconds you get the sense that this person is respected in the company and his achievements are so awe-inspiring he has fans cheering him on. Though this reenactment may be a bit exaggerated cue guy with adoringly fan made t shirt or the woman silently screaming as he passed, we here at STEMedia love the proposition that technological advancement is just as entertaining and worthy of fangirling as popular music. Kudos Intel let’s hope you create more advertisement just like this!

Engineering

The STEM that Grows the Leaf

March 2, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

What are our goals as educators? As mentors? As STEM enthusiasts? Are we taking the time to nurture the next generation of STEM as perhaps many of us wish we were nurtured? We know the frustrations of mathematical equations and scientific study, we know the joys of a break through and the achievement of seeing a design become innovation but are we sharing that knowledge? I often wonder if in striving to reach greater heights in our fields we are not focused enough on those who will be leading the future. This week at STEMedia we were fortunate enough to receive a submission from a community member that contained an awe-inspiring video, entitled The STEM that Grows the Leaf. In a week where I was questioning the length of our outreach the students at the University of Michigan were doing much more. Check it out below!

Produced by the Communications & Marketing Department at the University of Michigan – College of Engineering in Ann Arbor, MI

The video above details a program that allows High School students and Michigan Engineering students to collaborate during STEM-related workshops. As you watch you can almost see the moment where projects and learning becomes goals and career choices. It is in this way that programs like this are a necessity. We need the next generation to know a career in STEM means possibility and that possibility is available to all who want to it. The students at the University of Michigan have started to “Grow the Leaf”, how will you?

Creative Arts

OK Go’s Masterful Rube Goldberg Machine

March 2, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

Do you remember a board game called Mouse Trap? It was a remastered version of a Rube Goldberg Machine style game released in the ’90s. The commercial always displayed this elaborate contraption designed by the player to trap this toy mouse under a plastic cup. For a reason, unknown to me I was obsessed with this game and wanted nothing more than to build my own trap. Unfortunately as enthralled as I was at the idea my mother was less than enthused. I never got the official game but it led to hours of me “borrowing” my grandmother’s dominoes, my brother’s cars and my mother’s shoes to create my very own “mousetrap”…and looking back now it was one of the first times I really fell for STEM. When I saw this video by “OK Go” (below) I must say I wanted to immediately start building again!

There is something incredibly special about the video, aside from it reawakening the master builder in me, something in the music and the journey of the machine was not only entertaining, it was uplifting. It made me realize our community of STEM is a Rube Goldberg Machine. Each area is complicated, unique and elaborate but when working together those differences enhance the journey and make the goal not only attainable but inevitable. We hope this video gets you thinking about how STEM works because of our differences not despite them!

Students

Get Inspired with Black Girls Code

March 2, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

How do we choose our inspirations? Our dreams? Do our passions choose us? With the emergence of new technologies it is possible to get inspired all over again. Seeing the clip below of the young women involved in Black Girls Code has me once again dreaming about other avenues. The amazing thing about being so involved in STEM as many of us can attest is there is always another area to explore and another subject to learn. It is clips like this one which always serve to remind me not to get too involved with what I know and always seek to follow a new passion.

Technology is remaking not only the way we communicate, learn and grow but is also providing entirely new careers. These young women who are being introduced to a new opportunity are using what they learn in the hopes of better the lives of those around them. Hearing them speak even briefly about how applications can, will and already do change the world is powerful. Let’s help them by taking a moment to share their story and help ourselves by remembering that is never too late to be inspired!

Engineering

Innovating the Future: An Interesting Project

March 2, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

One of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of being a part of STEMedia is the opportunity to accept and share amazing content from you, our community. Abdul Gieballa, a very talented mechanical engineering student at UCLA is one such community member, when he brought his amazing project to us we were enthusiastic to bring it to you! His focus on engineering has led him to combat one of our more pressing issues in society, energy and its resulting crisis. Through the idea of redesigning wind turbines, he has made significant strides towards a problem that requires communities like ours to take notice. Recently he participated in an interview about his project, his inspiration and what he has learned. Below is an abridged version of the interview to read it entirely please visitnInTheirShoes who we partnered with for this post!

Determination

Q: Was there any point when you thought it was over? That you were going to fail?

Creating excitement for anything can be easy at the moment if the rhetoric is kind to the ears. Channeling that excitement into commitment and tangible work is another story. Our dream for this project is big and the sheer size and magnitude did intimidate some, which dealt us an early blow. We questioned whether the project would even get off the ground because of the small size of our team. The ones who remained had unwavering belief in what this project could become and the desire to be on the forefront of such a thing was too enticing to give up. The heart and will of our current team is equivalent to 5x our man power and that’s more than enough for now. Once our foundation is established the rest will fall into place. Aware of future adversity and possible complete failure, we remind each other that nothing we do is truly for nothing.

Flexibility

Q: As an entrepreneur how important has flexibility been in developing your venture?

Flexibility is key whenever a project is being tackled. Ideas are bouncing from one another and constant improvement of the product is taking place. An unspoken sense of compromise must be present for innovation to truly happen. What is better than one smart mind? A collection of smart minds. Egos must be checked and an understanding of something greater than yourself is under construction is vital. Adaptability to exploit each others strengths, being able to position each other in the best position to succeed, and making up, collectively, for each others weaknesses is also important. There is a “give” and a “take” for a common goal so flexibility is an essential condition that must exist if a group is to successful.

…

What are your non-work habits that help you with your work-life balance?

A little stress is good for maintaining focus on a task but when it builds on past a point, it can be detrimental to the health of the task and ultimately to the health of the individuals. Everyone searches for a cure after the problem has been created. We say its better to cultivate habits that prevent the problem from the get go. Being able to break between “Work time” and “Me time” is vital. Don’t lose yourself in all the work and forget the aspects that make you, you. Those are equally important because they rejuvenate your spirit, which puts you in a positive manner to create positive work, and provide valuable skills and lessons that one can bring back to incorporate into their work. What makes this project and structure of business venture unique, in my opinion, is the fact that the group of individuals involved have long lasting intrinsic relationships that span far beyond and before their work relationships. Such a characteristic makes communication and collaborating much easier. Understanding each others strengths and weaknesses allows us to better match individuals and task that need to be accomplished. Lastly, the respect and love we have for one another makes it easier to keep each other in check and accountable for our work, because we all have each others best interest in mind. With all this in mind, we prevent the existence of stress past its detrimental phase as best we can.

What is your best tip for entrepreneurs?

Strive for perfection even though it is unattainable. But when you strive for perfection, you attain excellence. Do things and ask if they are bringing you closer to your goals. Refine and perfect your craft. Consistency is key and though improvement is an infinite concept, your work will translate into excellence and that is what you will reap.

Thanks again to InTheirShoes!

STEM

A Real STEM Superhero

March 2, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

If you are a comic book nerd, a graphic novel collector or just a lover of the superhero lore you know that right now we are living through a superhero renaissance. What was once a affectionately cheesy type of movie or TV show has now become a powerhouse of a genre. If you happen to be a member of the STEM community as we all are you might have noticed an even more positive trend. Though firmly rooted in fiction the superheroes of today do use STEM at every given opportunity, everything from SHIELD’s communication technology to Captain America’s actual shield to all the power that Tony Stark possess. They are fruit barred from the work of scientists, engineers and tech “wizards”. By far the most miraculous thing about STEM being so firmly rooted into popular culture is it has real world implications. More people are being inspired by the things they see and by heroes they are want to emulate. When those ambitions connect to cinematic creativity wonderful things can happen.

In the video above Albert Manero, who founded an amazing company that uses 3D printing to help children created a very special project for a little boy. The young superhero buff was presented with an Iron Man style arm by Iron Man himself! It is in moments like this that we see this incredible merger of popular culture and STEM, if we can continue to use that momentum we will have found a new platform to teach, learn and inspire. So for this week STEMedia community go watch a superhero movie, read a comic or binge-watch a whole season of The Flash and Get Inspired!

Creative

Hip Hop Architecture Camp?

March 1, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

The Hip Hop Architecture Camp was created by The Hip Hop Architect and is an initiative of The Urban Arts Collective with the mission to introduce architecture to more diverse communities using Hip Hop as a connecting point. This idea of using popular culture as a way to connect STEM to community change is one that we should try to incorporate into our own outreach efforts. If we can connect with communities and younger generations on a platform that they naturally follow it will inspire them to move forward. This initiative allows students and community members to envision their communities and neighborhoods in new more sustainable and relevant ways. The video below is striking, once you start watching you feel their passion and their interest in the project. Check it out for yourself!

“Camp participates write, record and produce a Hip Hop song for “The Hip Hop Architecture Camp Album, Build It Up, Vol 1″, which is based on their evaluation of their immediate environments and the design solutions proposed during the camp.

This is the first music video released from The Hip Hop Architecture Camp. We hope this video inspires you to help us bring a Hip Hop Architecture Camp to your city and most importantly we hope this video gives you a glimpse of the future faces of architects, urban planners and designers.” -Urban Arts Collective

Engineering

Introducing the 1% Engineer Show – Episode 1

March 1, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

Hi STEMedia Community, we have partner with the amazing founder of The 1% Engineer to bring you his video series the 1% Engineer Show! Check it out below and check back on Wednesdays for new videos.

Episode 001 – Introduction. In this episode, we discuss what The 1% Engineer Society is all about, the framework behind the 1% Engineer Show, and the purpose of the community. The society intends to ‘Empower Young Engineers’ by extending learning beyond the classroom. Many engineers excel at math & science, but underperform in the areas needs most for career success. The society provides support to the non-technical aspects of life: leadership, business writing, speaking skills, innovation skills, commercialization of ideas, networking strategies, and more. Young STEM people are often left confused about job interview tactics, what to do for a job fair, how to land internships and research with your university, how to find internships, and more. The 1% Engineer Show includes lessons in these categories.