Maker 101 workshops kick off June 4

Online summer workshop covers the basics of computer engineering for diverse group of students.

Maker 101

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Rice is hosting the Maker 101 online summer workshop covering the basics of computer engineering.

“The course is designed for a diverse group of students, mostly in STEM, from any university. We only ask that they have at least completed their freshman year,” said the workshop’s architect, Joe Young, assistant teaching professor of ECE.

Young is a member of ECE’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee which was involved in creation of the workshop.

“We are thrilled to offer Maker 101 this summer as part of our mission to broaden participation with innovative education programs. Maker 101 complements our first-ever department-wide research internship program for undergraduate students,” said Ashutosh Sabharwal, Earnest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering and ECE department chair.

The non-college credit workshops will be held June 5, 12 and 19, and will introduce Arduinos, breadboards and printed circuit boards (PCBs). “It is geared towards those with little or no prior experience using Arduinos or designing PCBs,” said Young, who graduated from Rice with an M.S. and Ph.D. in ECE in 2018 and 2020, respectively.

His fellow instructors will be ECE professors in the practice Ray Simar and Gary Woods. The workshop will consist of three-hour morning sessions focused on Arduinos and breadboards and three-hour afternoon sessions devoted to PCB design.

To enroll, students must be at least 18 years old, have access to a computer onto which they can install software, and have Zoom installed. The registration fee covers the cost of the Arduino kit, which will be shipped to students before the workshops begin.

Learn more about the Maker 101 Online Summer Workshop.