As a practical approach to the Introduction to Ecology and Environmental Sciences course, the students are provided with different digital fabrication workshops.

We strongly believe in Fab Academy's hands-on learning philosophy and aim to promote interest in digital fabrication among college students.

Period: Winter Semester 2021 / 22
Lecturer: Jefferson Josué Sandoval Betanco

In the context of the global situation, these sessions were made in a hybrid way.

These digital manufacturing practices were composed of three sessions:

1. Introduction to Arduino
   
   Students get familiar with the basic theory: What is a microcontroller? What is Arduino (both boards and software)? What is the application?
   
   As examples for applications of digital fabrication, different FabAcademy final projects were shown. The final project, which is the Irrigation system, was explained.
   
   We made our first practice with an Arduino board: turning on and off, then blinking the built-in LED in different ways. In-person students were provided with an Arduino UNO board, Online students made it in TinkerCAD.
   
   FabAcademy
   Arduino reference: Language, Functions, Variables, and structure
   Arduino IDE
   Arduino UNO
   
   
2. Introduction to Inputs and Outputs
   
   This session had to be split into two days (first day for digital practice, second day for physical circuits).
   
   Day 1:
   For this practical session both in-person and online students were guided to make and simulate circuits and codes in TinkerCAD for:
   a. Fading LEDs.
   b. Ultrasonic distance sensor and LEDs.
   c. DC motor test.
   
   Day 2:
   The in-person students were provided with electronics kits to replicate in reality the previous digital practice. An extra practice including a Capacitive soil moisture sensor was carried out. In the end, the students worked on making the circuit and code for the irrigation system.
   
   TinkerCAD
   
   
3. Introduction to 3D model and printing
   
   Both in-person and online students were taught the main 2D and 3D design commands in Fusion 360, as well as the implications of 3D printing including mechanism operation and print parameters using the Ultimaker Cura slicer and the Ultimaker S5 3D printer.
   
   Note: In the beginning, the idea for practice was to make a case for the system; this idea was reevaluated and modified to make keychains because it's easier to ensure and evaluate the activity of each student, also a case is something that can be just downloaded from the internet and we rather them to make something for themselves (or a relative).
   3D printed parts are not shared here for privacy but have been, of course, included in a final report and evaluated.
   
   Ultimaker Cura - Slicing software
   Ultimaker S5 - 3D printer
   Download Fusion 360
   Fusion 360 tutorial

Students were asked to form groups of a maximum of 6 people, including at least 2 who could attend the sessions in person.

Made by:
Jonathan Masongo
Sabin Khatiwada
Gustavo Trujillo
Ziad Helou
Luca-Alexander Froehling
Mo men-Moh d-Fathi Abu-Omar

Made by:
Shreya Gupta
Somaya Ahmadian

Made by:
Almonzer Aboaleisch
Fonyuy Stacy-Kpufotitin
Hoi-Fung Sam
Fungai Machingaifa
Ekaterina Zakharova

Made by:
Suleman Tariq
Jude-Afanyu Bambo
Matsvei Yankouski
Alice Peter
Manuel Garcia-Orozco
Stas Besliu

Made by:
Demid Dabizha
Yonghan Ding
Hanzhang Xiao
Henrydon-Onyeka Ojukwu