This was a fun project I worked on for our Integrated Engineering annual gingerbread house-making contest. While most teams used the contents of a kit to decorate, myself and Zach Huser decided to take it up a notch, and machined a mold for a custom-baked gingerbread Sydney Opera House!
We milled the form out of some extra rigid insulation form we had, made our dough, and used foil as an interface between the gingerbread and the foam. Then the whole thing went in our oven, and out came a one-piece opera house. And here’s the best part: we were disqualified from the competition for not using the kit!
Still reeling from the loss, I came back the next year with a vengeance and made a scale model of our IGEN clubroom, complete with shop tools and hangout areas, and clinched the trophy.
Project Outcomes
Expands
our students’ access to and confidence with MIG and TIG processes
Builds
our shop supervisors’ talents as educators and improves our student body’s collective knowledge and ability as manufacturers
Unlocks
Potential for more ambitious student projects within the IGEN capstone design community
Skills and Learning
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Leading hands-on technical training of 5-10 person groups
•••••
Creating well-documented, clear written curriculum and tests
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