An immersive/intensive introduction to physical computing for advanced freshmen modeled after the MIT Media Lab’s ‘How To Make Almost Anything’ curriculum: students learn physical fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting, CNC milling, molding/casting), electronics (PCB design, manufacture, and assembly, debugging, firmware in C), and create several interactive projects.

Because of the demanding nature of this course, it requires the equivalent of 2 course credits (8 credit hours) for each of the two quarters in which it is taught (16 credit hours total). This sequence is designed to build a fun, strong ‘hacker’ culture that celebrates creative technology design for talented incoming students. See past student work here (2024, 2025) and find more details here.