Northwest Vista College STEM "TV Reading Project"

Plus+STEM - Portal Leading to Undergraduate Success in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math – is funded by a Department of Education Grant. The creation of the NVC Makerspace has also been partially funded through multiple Alamo Colleges Innovation Grants including support through the Jane Moser Drum Encouragement Fund. Three Plus+STEM college student cohorts from Summer 2022 (Luis Cardona, Matthew Castaneda, Sebastian Mendoza, Dominic Muniz), Fall 2022 (Jorja Harris, Astrid Lopez, Ian Ross, Sira Shah, Alana Wimberley, and Spring 2023 (Heyam Ata, Amanda Hernandez, Sira Shah, Casimiro Sigala, Max Wilson) worked under the direction of Thomas Pressly and Mark Jurena in the NVC MLH-214 Makerspace to design, develop, construct, test, and improve an educational aid for Steven Maison at the NISD Wanke Elementary Learning Tree. Mr. Maison works with elementary school students in after school care. Many of the elementary students in his program need additional support in reading. He developed an idea of a reading station that had the appearance of a vintage television set, to make reading more engaging for the elementary school students. The Summer 2022 Plus+STEM college student cohort (Luis, Matthew, Sebastian, and Dominic) met with Mr. Maison in June 2022. Each student presented CAD designs that they were proposing. They also discussed the project constraints with Mr. Maison. The main project constraints were that the station must be stable and safe, durable, it must be easily moved, it must have audio application, it must have an automatic screen opening/closing, it cannot have detachable parts, and most importantly it must fold and pack into a small area for storage. Mr. Maison also wanted the finalized station in an unfinished wood state so that he could add any decorative elements and then complete the final stain or paint himself. In Summer 2022, the Plus+STEM college student cohort developed a finalized CAD model with the best parts of each student’s model. They completed a small scale replica with balsa wood and foam core board to test the folding. They created a materials list and cost spreadsheet. The materials and supplies were purchased through the Plus+STEM grant and delivered to the NVC Makerspace. The team then assembled the initial working prototype of the station and identified that more work would be needed on the safety and stabilization as well as the electronics. In Fall 2022, the Plus+STEM college student cohort had two sub-groups. One of the sub-groups (Jorja, Ian, and Alana) developed the electronics and early protypes (using CAD and 3D printed) of the clips to attach the screen opening and closing to the motors. That group determined that it would be feasible to use a standard size high torque hobby servo motor to regulate the curtain open/close and investigated several options for electrical components (switches, microphones, speakers, amplifiers, etc.). They also developed the foundational C++ code used to program the Arduino controller. The second sub-group (Astrid and Sira) focused on the mechanical stabilization and safety of the station using CAD 3D modeling and determined the appropriate components required. They also explored some possible fundamental design changes that could be incorporated into future prototypes which would give better intrinsic stability by shifting the center of gravity more towards the center of the object footprint. In Spring 2023, the student cohort had three sub-groups. The mechanical stability and safety sub-group (Heyam and Sira) upgraded the wheels and installed additional wheels, which dramatically improved maneuverability of the station during moving. They also implemented a stabilizer system while working in the constraint that the folded station would still fit easily through a standard three foot door opening and the NVC MLH elevator. In addition, they added a safety blocking system to lock the top and sides into place when the station is ready for use. They also added a strap system to aid with the folding and keep the station locked into the folded position when it is folded and moved. They tested the mobility of the station when folded and improved their systems. One electronics sub-team (Amanda and Max) focused on the lighting, servo motor placement, 3D modeling of servo attachment components; continuing the Arduino programming; and finalized and created the curtain system and attached it to the servo motors. The other electronics sub-team (Casimiro) investigated audio amplification options and selected an appropriate sized option, developed a fastening system, and secured it to the station. Mr. Maison visited the NVC Makerspace on May 21, 2023 for a final walkthrough of the completed TV reading station. He took delivery of the completed station on May 29, 2023 from the NVC Makerspace and was able to interact and discuss the project one final time with the student teams.