麻豆村

The most valuable treasures are often buried. So, it should come as no surprise that (Integrative Design, Arts and Technology), a wildly sought-after interdisciplinary program for students at 麻豆村, is hidden in the basement of Hunt Library.

Instead of a treasure map, a peculiar lighting installation in the library鈥檚 stairwell leads visitors to IDeATe鈥檚 whimsical and funky underground haven 鈥� a maker鈥檚 paradise consisting of , , and labs, and .

Aptly named "," this standout project from IDeATe's first decade is responsive to ambient sound, such as footsteps, voices, doors closing and the elevator, while offering a variety of interactions when people clap, play music or whistle. It was designed in 2015 by Jaime Chu and Robert Rudolph, two of the program's initial enrollees.

鈥淭he light installation has gone through a few iterations in the last 10 years,鈥� said Kelly Delaney, assistant dean and the program鈥檚 primary contact since its inception, 鈥渂ut it still captures the essence of what the students wanted, which was to draw people鈥檚 attention to the basement where all these cool ideas and projects are taking shape.鈥�

How may I connect you?

Delaney has long referred to herself as the IDeATe 'switchboard,' seamlessly connecting a complex network of students and faculty, and generally ensuring the program's smooth operation.聽

鈥淚nitial enrollment for the first batch of IDeATe courses was around 300, and 150 students had declared IDeATe minors. Over the years, the curriculum has grown, and we now typically see enrollment totaling around 1,200 students over the academic year, with 250-300 students declaring minors,鈥� she said.

Delaney joined the program as its first staff member when IDeATe was still just 鈥渁n idea.鈥� Since then, she has been a pivotal figure in the program's development and growth, helping to shape IDeATe into the vibrant and supportive community it is today.

鈥淗aving been at Carnegie Mellon for about eight years before I joined IDeATe, I was able to bring to the table some knowledge of how the gears worked at the university and at the same time explore new ways of working with departments," she said.

Now, anytime somebody has an idea for a new IDeATe course or project, Delaney is one of the first people they reach out to, although she said her role also involves sitting in the background, observing what's going on and discerning whether or not she needs to intervene.

"It鈥檚 always been about striking a balance. You don't want to impose too many limits on students and faculty in terms of what they might want to explore idea-wise,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes the ideas are a little too out there, and we have to say, 'Well, we can't do that, but we could do something like this.鈥� The expertise is in making student-faculty collaborations happen in a way that truly reflects the university's values."

Whole lotta makin鈥� going on

Launched in 2015, the IDeATe program was designed to bridge the gap between technology and the arts, offering students a unique opportunity to explore the intersections of these fields. Over the past decade, IDeATe has grown to include a diverse array of minors and courses, ranging from game design and animation to sonic arts and intelligent environments.

Olivia Robinson, a teaching professor at 麻豆村鈥檚聽, has witnessed the significant growth of the IDeATe programs and studios since she joined IDeATe in 2019 to found the soft technologies minor.

鈥淲e鈥檝e gone from eight sewing machines in a cabinet to now having a dedicated sewing lab with 20 machines and computerized embroidery machines, as well as a dedicated dye lab,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he growth of the program has been exponential. It鈥檚 a reflection of student interest.鈥�

Among her faculty collaborations are a popular dye class(opens in new window) she co-teaches with chemistry professor Gloria Silva and a course taught by , an assistant professor in the聽, that uses textile weaving and building robotic looms to teach advanced math.

鈥淚 feel incredibly fortunate聽in the collaborations with other faculty and departments. This is due to the creative and curious faculty that Carnegie Mellon recruits,鈥� Robinson said.

Robinson teaches an inflatables class that gives students with no prior sewing or sculptural experience the opportunity to create large inflatable forms. The projects involve multidisciplinary teams and collaboration with sound and animation classes. The class had a significant impact on Maddie Burroughs, a senior in (ECE) who is pursuing minors in soft technologies and media design through IDeATe.

鈥淚 was able to develop strong sewing skills, which isn't something I had done before,鈥� Burroughs said. 鈥淔or the final project, I was partnered with three other students, all in different colleges studying very different things. Working with our team gave me the opportunity to collaborate with others, applying my background to compliment theirs in a way I'm not able to do in my home department. In the end, we made a literally larger-than-life nature-themed inflatable that was showcased at WQED.鈥�

Burroughs said through the IDeATe program she鈥檚 been able to apply her primary major in more creative ways that interest her.

鈥淢any of the instructors are artists and makers themselves, and the instructors I've been able to work with in IDeATe are some of the most invested and compassionate instructors I've ever worked with,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur projects and assignments are often more flexible or self-defined than in other departments. The instructors really want to help you personalize project ideas based on what you're interested in or want to learn.鈥�

Robinson said some students choose their career paths based on their experiences in IDeATe.

鈥�Sarika Bajaj(opens in new window) was originally an ECE major. She started a company called focusing on recycling used textiles after her experiences in IDeATe,鈥� Robinson said.

Zarmond Goodman, a film and visual media studies major, works in the fabrication lab as a senior tech adviser helping students safely operate the laser cutter. Having switched majors twice, Goodman is grateful to have had IDeATe as 鈥渁n anchor,鈥� 鈥渁 common thread鈥� and 鈥渁 safe space鈥� to stay grounded.

鈥淚 hope the next 10 years bring more visibility to IDeATe,鈥� Goodman said. 鈥淭he IDeATe community offers a real sense of belonging no matter what your background or experiences are.鈥�

One memorable project Goodman recalled supervising was a scaled map of Pittsburgh with color-coded features, such as roads or bodies of water. Goodman helped the student translate the color codes to different laser strengths, so the laser would burn either darker or lighter. The map was also two scales, so they had to cut multiple pieces and put them together into one.

鈥淚t was really interesting to see the project physically exist in front of me after seeing it on the computer,鈥� Goodman said. 鈥淭hat back-and-forth communication of trying to help someone who has a different skill set than you is also an invaluable skill to learn.鈥�

Some of Goodman鈥檚 favorite projects to work on are the ones that students create in 鈥� physical computing class.

鈥淢any of Robert's students come into the fabrication lab with the coolest projects aimed at making life easier for people with disabilities,鈥� they said. 鈥淚 always love helping with those projects. That class is offered every semester, so I always get to interact with them and hear their stories about how people are helping other people, which is great.鈥�

Inspiring, empowering and uplifting

Since the spring of 2018, Zacharias has been teaching IDeATe鈥檚 Intro to Physical Computing course, which goes beyond technical learning, encouraging students to design and build assistive technology. He aims to create meaningful experiences for students by linking their skills to real-world needs. This approach not only helps them acquire valuable expertise but also fosters a deeper understanding of empathy and service, which he hopes will have a lasting impact on their future endeavors.

"We meet with people with disabilities, and I put the students in teams of three. At this point in the semester, they know how to do some technical stuff, but orienting them toward an act of service is a very different and more meaningful experience," Zacharias explained. "I hope students retain the experience of building something for somebody and really trying to understand that person's needs and preferences. It can inform the way they go on to do all sorts of things in the rest of their life."

One student team interviewed a woman named Allie, who uses a wheelchair and has various disabilities. Instead of focusing on a physical need, which was beyond their expertise and timeframe, they aimed to lift her spirits. Knowing she loves dogs, they built a聽 when petted on one ear, using a receipt printer on the dog's tongue.

"It was a different conception of an assistive device, which I really appreciated. It鈥檚 wonderful and sweet, and kind of funny, and it totally encapsulates what IDeATe means to me: meeting a need in a way you wouldn't typically think of," he said.聽

"There are lots of these kinds of projects,鈥� Zacharias added. 鈥淚 walk away from pretty much every final critique impressed, thinking, 鈥榃ow, that was pretty good.鈥�"

Cheers to the next 10 years

Looking forward, IDeATe remains committed to nurturing the next generation of innovators. With a decade of success behind it, the future looks brighter than ever before for this unique and dynamic initiative. Even after 10 years, Delaney said, they continue to learn and recognize the need for growth, change and improvement.聽

"The potential for the program is immense.聽There鈥檚 an amount of care and tenderness that the people who come through here exude for the program, for people they work with and for the institution. It鈥檚 really special," she said. "Being in a space on campus where experimenting can happen in unique and funky ways, and the stakes aren鈥檛 too high or too low, we鈥檙e really proud of that, and I think that there is something so very Carnegie Mellon about it.鈥�

,聽dean of University Libraries and director of聽Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives, said the reality of the workforce students will enter after graduation is that they are going to be communicating and collaborating with people from different backgrounds.

鈥淲hat we want our students to do is to learn how people from different disciplines solve problems, and we want them to begin to respect each other鈥檚 disciplines, to understand everybody is engaged in often similar ideas and concepts but they address them in different ways,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e designed the courses and minors in IDeATe to be cross-disciplinary, where the students learn from each other, and where we integrate disciplines to better suit what we know industry is looking for and to prepare our students for jobs in a way that opens doors rather than closes them.

鈥淢aker-centered learning helps our students develop a sense of self and a sense of community that gives them the confidence to engage with and shape different dimensions of the world they will enter as they leave Carnegie Mellon.鈥�