Flying cars are a quintessential technology of the future, so when the new Tesla Roadster was revealed and could seemingly defy gravity, it seemed like a major technological achievement. While impressive, it makes sense to question the practicality of a backflipping car. However, benefits still come from inventing purely out of passion.
Too often, students are forced to divert their creative efforts toward projects that connect to their academic or professional goals, missing out on the technical and personal benefits that inventing for the sake of inventing can provide.
Historically, curiosity and ingenuity have led to major technological advancements. According to Bruce Hunt, professor emeritus of the history of modern science and technology, people had little understanding of how telegraphs actually worked when they were first introduced. However, as the technology developed, curious individuals investigated phenomena surrounding telegraphs’ functionality. This initial curiosity would eventually lead to the theory of the electromagnetic field and the discovery of radio waves.
These innovators did not set out to build a better form of communication. Instead, their curiosity helped them develop the understanding to create the next evolution of technology, demonstrating the power of simple tinkering.
This history of innovation stemming from curiosity includes UT itself. At Texas Inventionworks in the Engineering Education and Research Center, several students have turned their personal projects into real-world solutions. From a nursing student creating an oil-absorbing comb to an engineering student experimenting with heat-resistant robotics, many individuals have used the makerspace to materialize their ideas.
“Every one of the stories that I’ve shared with you,” TIW director Scott Evans said. “If you rewind their story back, you will find that there is a moment in time where they had the courage to take a shot at it, … the network and skills to know how to start and something that they wanted to dedicate their time to.”
Connecting your personal values to your creations is a critical part of the innovation process.
“As an individual maker, student or otherwise, you’re more likely to go through the struggle, setbacks and troubleshooting necessary to complete a project if you’ve got a personal stake in it,” said Patrick Benfield, natural sciences assistant professor who directs the Hello Maker Studio.
By giving their creations significance, students can achieve a sense of emotional achievement separate from their academic and professional expectations.
“It is a personal wellness thing, a way for (students) to feel creative, especially if they’re in a discipline that places a higher value on the information that you can remember and then put back onto a test,” TIW assistant director J.E. Johnson said.
Pursuing these personal projects also strengthens technical skills. Inevitably, students will run into something they do not know how to do, but by utilizing UT’s extensive network of resources, they can find the support they need to accomplish their goals.
“A lot of students just don’t have that experience yet, so we encourage people to come in and be a little bit brave and say out loud what you’re trying to do,” said David Tolin, facilities and machines manager at TIW. “We typically will have to go ask someone, ‘What’s going on, what are you trying to do?’ and they’ll explain, and then (we’ll say) … ‘Have you ever thought about this?’ … It helps them find the way toward the end goal.”
Of course, taking the time to create your own personal project is easier said than done. Students are already pressed for time with classes or extracurriculars. To adapt to these constraints, students can use the flexibility of these projects to their advantage. Because these projects are self-driven, there are no set deadlines or expectations. Students can adjust the time they commit and the scale of their project to ensure that the activity serves as a creative outlet and not an additional stressor.
“We do a fairly good job of encouraging small tasks over time, not necessarily having to come in and make a perfect thing all at once,” Benfield said.
As students, we often feel obligated to be doing something “productive” that supports our GPA or helps us get an internship. However, it’s crucial to recognize that there is no shame in creating something for yourself. Some amazing inventions have come from the simple urge to build something cool.
Stark is a chemical engineering sophomore from Orange County, California.
