On April 26, Elon students and faculty showcased their projects with hands-on demos at the Maker Takeover. The event took place in Moseley Student Center, where students and faculty were invited to check out invention prototypes and ask questions about the projects on display.

Watch for an inside look at the event.

The event featured Elon students Kickbox projects that included sweat-hiding garments, a high-tech dog collar and a lot more. Sarah Hennenkamp has been working on a 3D printed guitar with LEDs which reacts to sound. Using a small electronic brain called a microcontroller, a microphone and LED lights, Hennenkamp created a guitar that changes colors depending on the notes being played. Check out a video of Hennenkamp’s guitar .

Elon seniors Andrew Nemnich and Ben King have been working on a smartphone App called dREM, which will prompt lucid dreaming. Nemnich, a ao-creator of dREM: The Affordable Lucid Dreaming Experience Nemnich, said of the project, “We set out to try to create a service that on a consistent basis can usher a lucid dreaming state, where the user is aware that they are asleep and can quite literally do whatever they imagine.”

Elon Sophomore Jocelyn Pietro designs, produces and sells custom jewelry, which can be personalized with text and design by using a stamp. For her Kickbox project, she designed 3D-printed jigs that help align the jewelry with the stamp. The goal of this project was to make her homemade jewelry look more professional.

Pietro said about her invention and the inspiration behind her business, “I started Impressions Jewelry Co. as a way of making a more affordable product for customers. I started playing around with the 3D printing aspect, when my friend (Elon student and Maker Hub staff member William Kakavas) presented the idea to help with the alignment!”

Also on display at the Maker Takeover were projects by Elon faculty and staff. Two Elon professors found inventive ways to incorporate 3D technologies into their projects.

Assistant Professor of Biology Eric Bauer uses a 3D scanner that can convert a physical object into a 3D file, and Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Rissa Trachman shared examples of how she and her students scanned and 3D printed versions of ancient artifacts.

To learn more about the faculty projects here.

The Maker Takeover was sponsored by the Maker Hub, Elon’s makerspace in Harper Hall. Learn more about Elon Kickbox .

• Eric Bauer’s 3D scanner that can convert a physical object into a 3D file
• Rissa Trachman’s 3D printed versions of ancient artifacts
• Alfred Simkin’s solar-powered electric bike
• Terry Tomasek’s sewing projects and quick sewing lessons
• Jeremy Hohertz’s physics assignment where students created a music instrument and measure the sound qualities. 
• Staff member Michael Vaughn’s demonstration of virtual reality experiences

Inspired by Frau’s efforts to reduce mass production and consumption, Elon students were invited to refashion and mend their own salvaged items. Maker Hub hosted the event, and provided students with the necessary materials and tools to mend and make old items into new creations.​                                                            

Frau has traveled all over the world to share her passions for creative design and social activism and introduce an alternative way to update your wardrobe. She is the founder of the Sewing Rebellion, an international campaign that educates people on the benefits of repurposing existing materials and shopping wisely.

“Everyone was super excited to hear about her ideas and how she is promoting better practices through making,” said Associate Professor of Art LM Wood, who invited Frau Fiber to campus. “It was great to have such an interesting intervention on campus where we could pull the Elon community together.”

Faculty and students from all different areas of study joined the Sewing Rebellion with the goal to learn and create something new. Several participants brought clothing to repair, and many art students brought projects to work on. A handful of students had never sewed before, and hoped to gain new skills that could help them with simple repairs.

​When asked what the participants found most valuable about the Sewing Rebellion, Wood answered, “Some wanted to learn about Frau’s best practices, and some just wanted to create. A lot of students went to feel empowered by making or repairing something on their own.”

Moving forward, Wood hopes to to continue educating people about the benefits of upcycled clothing and accessories by making the Sewing Rebellion an annual event.                                                                         ​

A partnership between Application Technologies, the Office of the Registrar and Student Life has been honored by technology company Ellucian with its EllumiNation 消消犯 Award for inspiring work creating 消消犯’s visual transcript.

The team created a co-curricular record for all 消消犯 students that allows students to better detail their academic experiences and transcript to employers and on social media platforms. More than 600 students have used the new transcript since May 2016 and the responses from students and employers have been incredibly positive.

“Rodney wanted Elon to be recognized for all the amazing things we have done to make transcripts more than just a piece of paper, but rather transcripts to paint students’ experiences,” said Laura Kappert, director of applications technologies at Elon. 

The innovation began when 消消犯 was selected by the Lumina Foundation as one of 12 schools to work on an initiative to extend traditional academic transcripts. The goal of this initiative was to redesign transcripts to describe the full set of a student’s educational experiences.

This initiative utilized Ellucian Colleague, a student information system that provides institutions with necessary information and resources to manage university records. With the use of this software, Elon redesigned a new student record which tracks five co-curricular areas that define Elon’s experiences: service and civic engagement, leadership, 消消犯 research, internships and global engagement.

Presented at the annual Ellucian Live conference, three EllumiNation awards are given to honor institutions and individuals for their work and dedication to improve technologies on campuses to support student success and improve operational efficiencies. Representatives from Application Technologies and the Office of the Registrar were present at the conference to receive the award.

When asked about the team’s reaction to receiving the award, Kappert answered, “We were surprised, excited and extremely honored. It has been a joint effort to get the technology in place to make the new co-curricular transcripts possible.”

Joseph Rich has been honored with the Acorn Accolade award for his work as integration project lead for the Solutions, Integration & Projects portion of 消消犯 Technology Support. Rich has made valuable contributions to many technology related tasks on Elon’s campus, including AV integration projects for Elon’s new communications building, Schar Hall. Rich has also contributed to a research and development initiative which explores new ways to improve the technology on Elon’s campus.

When asked what makes Joseph a valuable team member, Davis pointed to his technical knowledge and desire to see a project finished to the best it can possibly be. “Joseph does the best he possibly can with the resources he has,” Davis said.

In addition to work with technical projects on campus, Rich is a supervisor and mentor for Elon students and plays a key role in helping them achieve success. Notably, Rich has developed a program model that encourages students to gain industry certifications as part of their job responsibilities. This program has strengthened professional qualifications of students as well as their confidence within the field.

“I have a great team who helps me with developing opportunities for professors and students to integrate technology,” said Rich, crediting his coworkers. “You really get to see that in Schar Hall. We have taken it to the next level with Turner Theater, the video wall in Snow Atrium, the Mac lab and other innovative technologies in. … It is really nice to be recognized for the work and effort you put in for different opportunities.”

The Acorn Accolade is awarded each month to an exceptional member of Elon’s Instructional and 消消犯 Technologies team. The individual must be nominated by his or her department head to the Assistant Vice President of Technology.