Learning Digital Fabrication Remotely

Today, we are joined by Jennifer Jacobs and Nadya Peek, who discuss their experience in teaching remote classes for a course that is largely hands-on. The discussion was focused on digital fabrication, why it is important, the prospect for the future, the challenges with remote lectures, and everything in between.

Guests

Jennifer Jacobs: I am an Associate Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara in Media Arts and Technology and Computer Science (by courtesy), where I direct the Expressive Computation Lab. I study how to develop platforms, systems, and tools that enable domain professionals to adapt computational workflows to idiosyncratic design processes in technically and culturally meaningful ways. I pursue this goal by combining systems engineering, machine control, and computational fabrication, and by collaborating closely with professional design communities. I evaluate systems in ecologically valid production settings and work with practitioners from fields outside computer science so that technologies augment—rather than replace—skilled material practice. I received my Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab and completed my postdoctoral research in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University. I also received an M.F.A. and B.F.A from Hunter College and the University of Oregon, respectively. My research has been presented at international venues including SIGGRAPH, UIST, CACM, Ars Electronica, and CHI, and I am the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award.

Nadya Peek: Dr. Nadya Peek is an associate professor in the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) where she directs the Machine Agency. Her work focuses on unconventional digital fabrication tools, small scale automation, networked control systems, and advanced manufacturing. Spanning electronics, firmware, software, and mechanics, her research focuses on harnessing the precision of machines for the creativity of individuals. Before joining the HCDE faculty in February 2018, Peek was a postdoctoral research scientist at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms. She is VP of the Open Source Hardware Association, half of the design studio James and the Giant Peek, and plays drum machines and synths in the band Construction.