Invited presentation at the American Association of Physics Teacher's summer 2016 meeting. Through a list of initiatives we are encouraging physics students to explore entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary projects in their undergraduate curriculum. All materials licensed CC-BY-SA.

1. Physics Innovation and
Entrepreneurship at a Liberal
Arts University
CC-BY-SA
Wouter Deconinck
William & Mary
AAPT Summer 2016
Physics and the Maker Movement

2. William & Mary: Liberal Arts University
Primarily undergraduate liberal arts institution
• No large medical or engineering program
• Large service courses satisfy gen-ed and pre-med requirements
Primarily undergraduate liberal arts institution with
• Graduate programs in select departments with traditional strengths
• PhD programs in History, American Studies (Jamestown, Williamsburg)
• PhD programs in Physics, Applied Science (NASA Langley, Jefferson Lab)
• Masters programs in Chemistry, Computer Science, Psychology,…
• Education school, business school (with entrepreneurship center)
Physics department at William & Mary
• Approximately 30 majors and 15 graduate students each year
• Primary preparation for graduate school (as too many physics degrees)
• Desire to prepare students better for the careers that await them
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3. Careers for Physicists Primarily Outside Academia
Bachelors degrees in physics
• Only 1 out of 6 physicists gets a PhD degree (AIP SRC)
• All other physicists not included in “traditional physicists” interpretation
PhD degrees in physics
• Majority of permanent jobs are outside of academia
• About 1700 physics PhDs per year, significantly fewer jobs in academia
• All other physicists not included in “traditional physicists” interpretation
Mismatch between curriculum and reality of physics teaching
• How can we prepare our undergraduate and graduate students better for
their most likely career?
• What opportunities can we provide as part of the curriculum?
• What opportunities can we provide outside the curriculum?
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4. Careers for Physicists Primarily Outside Academia
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5. Careers for Physicists Primarily Outside Academia
What skills are physicists missing?1
• Ability to design a system,
component or process to meet a
specific need
• Ability to function on
multi-disciplinary teams
• Ability to recognize value of
diverse relationships (customers,
supervisors, etc)
• Leadership skills
• Familiarity with basic business
concepts (i.e. cost-benefit
analysis, funding sources, IP,
project management)
• Communication skills (oral and
written), esp. how to tailor
message to audience
• Real-world experience in
companies before graduation
• Awareness of career paths outside
of academia
1Sources: ABET Survey of Applied and Engineering Physics Graduates, Kettering University;
APS Workshop on National Issues in Industrial Physics, Industrial Physics Lunches.
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6. Educational Goals of the Small Hall Makerspace
Small Hall Makerspace
• Formed in Fall 2013 for interdisciplinary team-based projects
• “We provide the tools, students bring their creativity”
Encourage failure as fundamental to innovation
• Instill “fail early, fail often” attitude
• No cost to failure (whether financial or to GPA) in makerspace projects
Value prototyping process over the solution itself
• Students have strong theoretical basis but weaker practical experience
• Students are used to getting to “right” answer on straightforward path
• Laboratory exercises (even if self-guided and not recipe-driven) still often
follow a predictable path towards a single solution
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7. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Electronics and computation workshop
• Raspberry Pis, Intel Edison, Arduinos and many shields, Oculus Rift VR
headsets
• Server rack (old lattice QCD nodes)
Rapid prototyping shop
• 3D printers, laser cutters, vacuum thermoformer
• Actobotics and 80/20 mechanical erector set
Student machine shop
• Drill press, milling machines, lathes
• 3 axis 2 × 3 CNC
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8. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Rapid prototyping and electronics shop
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9. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Rapid prototyping and electronics shop
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10. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Rapid prototyping and electronics shop
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11. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Student machine shop (under supervision only)
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12. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Student machine shop (under supervision only)
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13. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Student machine shop (under supervision only)
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14. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Larger equipment: server, thermoformer, laser cutter
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15. Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
Larger equipment: server, thermoformer, laser cutter
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16. Reception in the Department
Original reactions were discouraging
• Dismissive reactions: “students don’t have time for that”
• Worries about safety: “how will you make sure no one gets hurt?”
• Worries about security: “how will you prevent the equipment from
wandering off?”
• Worries about research: encroaching on lab space or department
resources
Some careful management and appeasement required
• Started in former computer room, expanded into underused lab space
• Try to make optimal use of otherwise unused space, but we move out
quickly if there is a research need
• Fully funded by administration outside of physics department
• Substantial interest from rest of campus in this resource
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17. Reception in the Department
Current feelings among faculty are uniformly positive
• Integral part of department with integration of makerspace in courses,
outreach, and student activities
• Connection to other departments for both students and faculty
• Planning of new physics major concentration in “e* physics” (for
engineering or entrepreneurship, depending on who you ask)
Faculty use of makerspace resources
• Heavy use of 3D printers and laser cutter (lens holders, mylar clamping
rings)
• Source of students with expertise with Raspberry Pi and Arduino
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18. Self-Governance of the Makerspace
Core principle of maker movement
• Don’t consider students as merely users, but instill mindset of co-owners
• Co-ownership in space and procedures leads to willingness to call out
issues as they occur
Several coordinators
• Two physics faculty members, volunteer time only
• One part-time graduate student coordinator (5 hours / week as TA)
• One undergraduate student assistant coordinator (10 hours / week as
hourly)
Decisions by user board
• Students who have proposed projects and been awarded funding
• Leadership of student clubs that use the makerspace
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19. Outreach to the Public
Outreach as integral to being a scientist
• Recognizing the value of outreach and public science
Open Build Events
• Weekly student-run Saturday events
• Open to the public
Participation in public maker movement events
• Newport News Public School STEM Days 2015: soldering and Arduino
playground
• RVA MakerFest 2015: 200 LED blinky boards soldered by kids, 100
bristle-bots (all outdoors)
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20. Outreach to the Public
Newport News Public School STEM Days
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21. Outreach to the Public
Newport News Public School STEM Days
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22. Outreach to the Public
RVA MakerFest 2015
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23. Outreach to the Public
RVA MakerFest 2015
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24. Outreach to the Public
RVA MakerFest 2015
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25. Outreach to the Public
Open Build Events and Barnes & Nobles MakerFaire
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26. Outreach to the Public
Open Build Events and Barnes & Nobles MakerFaire
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27. Outreach to the Public
Open Build Events and Barnes & Nobles MakerFaire
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28. Projects
Proposal submission
• Request for proposals once per semester
• Includes narrative, schedule and project budget
• $500 max for single PIs, $1k max for interdisciplinary PIs
Selection
• User board makes recommendation
• Avoiding conflicts of interest
Spending
• Department spends on behalf of the students
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29. Curricular Activities: Robo-Ops Competition
Participation in national competition
• National NASA/National Institute of Aerospace tele-robotics
competition
• Objective: build a tele-robotic rover system to retrieve colored rocks in
Johnson Space Center’s Rock Yard, operated completely from home
institution
• Participation as demonstrator team in collaboration with U Nebraska
Mech-Eng and NASA Langley Research Center, with same budget as
university teams (large engineering schools)
• Multidisciplinary group of 15 students, between 1 and 3 credits
• Makerspace contribution: build a computer vision system to recognize,
identify, map, and plan retrieval of colored rocks in a martian/lunar
desert/crater landscape
• Disciplines: physics, computer science, math, geology, business
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30. Curricular Activities: Robo-Ops Competition
Experiences
• Rapid prototyping and agile development, applied to both hardware and
software
• Multiple W&M sub-teams addressed different aspects with separate
team leads
Robo-Ops competition on May 24, 2016
• Rover operated from NASA Langley Research Center mission control
room
• Finished third in field of 8 competing teams (first prize: “Rovie
McRoverface” from U Oklahoma)
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31. Curricular Activities: Robo-Ops Competition
Demonstration run at NASA Langley Research Center
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32. Curricular Activities: Week-Long May Seminars
Faculty development seminars on makerspace technologies
• Participation from physics, arts, music, psychology, economics,…
• Concrete outcomes: how will a makerspace technology be integrated in
a specific course?
Faculty development seminars on entrepreneurship
• Participation from physics, biology (synthetic genetics), computer
science (apps), business (entrepreneurship center)
• Result: two-semester cross-disciplinary course on innovation &
entrepreneurship to start in Fall 2016/Spring 2017
• 4-week tutorials on design thinking and the business model canvas
• Fall: “shark tank” event to form 3-4 person teams around selected
individual ideas
• Winter: “SBIR proposal” mock submission and selection of projects for
6-8 person teams
• Spring: development of minimum viable product with 12 person teams
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33. Curricular Activities: Rocket Science
PHYS 100: Rocket Science
• Course for non-scientists with an interest in rocket science
• Students are assigned to “design a rocket” using OpenRocket
• Supported by the W&M Robotics Club they build the rocket and launch
PHYS 253: Instrumentation and Interfacing
• Project-based second semester electronics course with focus on making
things
• Often Arduino-based projects, but also using mBed or even FPGA boards
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34. Research: SharkDuino
Accelerometer/gyro data-logging tag based on Arduino
• Collaboration with Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS)
• Study of sandbar sharks and other species (Atlantic sturgeon) in
Chesapeake Bay
• Off-the-shelf tags are expensive ($1k/ea) and not rechargeable or
reusable
• Idea to use commercial off-the-shelf Arduino pro mini to read custom
shields
• OpenTag is commercial tag that is “open in name only”
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35. Research: SharkDuino
Development by undergraduate students in Small Hall Makerspace
• VIMS researchers, W&M Committee on Sustainability supports
students, Small Hall Makerspace invests in equipment
• Two undergraduates: physics and computer science sophomores
• Makerspace equipment: surface mount soldering reflow oven, PCB
board development etching chemicals (approximately $1k)
• First data collected this week at Eastern Shore Lab for marine ecology
Sharks will be instrumented with accelerometer/gyro board
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36. Research: SharkDuino
Development by undergraduate students in Small Hall Makerspace
• VIMS researchers, W&M Committee on Sustainability supports
students, Small Hall Makerspace invests in equipment
• Two undergraduates: physics and computer science sophomores
• Makerspace equipment: surface mount soldering reflow oven, PCB
board development etching chemicals (approximately $1k)
• First data collected this week at Eastern Shore Lab for marine ecology
Sharks will be instrumented with accelerometer/gyro board
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37. Research: Bio-Degradable Plastics
Prototyping of bio-degradable components in marine environment
• Collaboration with Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS)
• Lost crab traps (steel wire) remain active for long time (loss 10%)
• Cycle of death: crabs are carrion-feeders
• “Escape hatches” from bio-degradable plastic that disintegrates in
months render the crab traps inactive
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38. Research: Bio-Degradable Plastics
Prototyping of bio-degradable components in marine environment
• Collaboration with Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS)
• Lost crab traps (steel wire) remain active for long time (loss 10%)
• Cycle of death: crabs are carrion-feeders
• “Escape hatches” from bio-degradable plastic that disintegrates in
months render the crab traps inactive
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39. Research: Bio-Degradable Plastics
Development of PHA 3D printer filament (similar to PLA)
• PHA = poly-hydroxy-alkanoate (similar to PLA biopolymer commonly
used for 3D printing)
• Three undergraduates supervised by one graduate student in physics and
applied science
• Makerspace equipment: two polymer filament extruders and hardware
for coiling jigs
• PHA absorbs excess nutrients in water: also useful for filtration mats in
ponds and lakes
Other printer filament development by students and researchers
• Graphene-infused nylon filament for oil pipes
• Tungsten-infused ABS filament for radiation shielding
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40. Equity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship
Few visible entrepreneurs in top industry positions
• Only 23 women are CEOs in S&P 500 (4.6%), 8 in S&P 100 (July 2016)
• Persistent perception that successful entrepreneurship is for men
Equity and inclusion issues in physics2
• Fraction of physics bachelor degrees earned by women less than 20%
• Only 2.2% of physics bachelor degrees earned by African Americans
2APS Education & Diversity, 2015
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41. Equity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship
Combination of two problematic fields requires some thought
• Careful attention to how student project groups are composed
• Gentle nudges to consider actively attracting students from many
backgrounds
• Zero-tolerance policy for any language or behavior that affects
welcoming atmosphere
• Active attempts to use outreach activities as a way to engage students
who may not feel comfortable setting foot in the makerspace on their
own
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42. Equity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship
Infused in campus-wide maker movement efforts
• Central recommendation in innovation and entrepreneurship white paper
to university president
• Digital Humanities makerspace
• Headed by Elizabeth Losh, member of FemTechNet initiative
• Includes arts, art history, gender, sexuality, & women’s studies
• Examples: 3D-printed Cockroach Disco and Cockroach Hospice as
feminist critique of spaces and affect
• Biology makerspace
• Active engagement of women faculty members (much more so than Small
Hall Makerspace which has historical and physical basis in physics)
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43. Equity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship
Cockroach Disco
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44. Do you want to start your own Makerspace?
Budget for equipment
• Around $20k in major equipment such as 3D printers ($2.5k/ea), laser
cutter ($5k), thermoformer ($5k), CNC cutter ($7k)
• Electronics base equipment: oscilloscopes, function generators, soldering
stations ($5k)
Space requirements
• Constraints due to local regulations
• Venting for 3D printers and laser cutter
Annual budget for personnel and projects
• $2k per semester for student project support
• Undergraduate and graduate TA support in kind
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45. Summary
Small Hall Makerspace at W&M
• The majority of physics students will enter a career that will require
them to work on projects that are more similar to makerspace activities
than to solving homework problems: we should provide them with the
experiences to be successful in these projects.
• At a liberal arts institution with no natural engineering home for
prototyping and entrepreneurship, physics departments are uniquely
placed to benefit with minimal cost from the possibilities that the maker
movement allows.
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