SISD Student Louis’ Unforgettable MIT Trip: Creativity & Research 

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a trip to MIT with a group of students, and honestly, it was one of the best experiences of my life. It was packed with variety, challenges, and so much fun that I can't stop thinking about it. I think one of the coolest parts of the week was the just the range of workshops we did. We did so many workshops but a few of them to state were transitioning ideas from 2D sketches to functional 3D prototypes, which was so satisfying because we got to see our rough ideas take physical shape and transformed 2d sketches of animals into our own little 3d animals (I personally did an owl with a hat). We visited the Flavel Lab, where we saw PhD researchers studying neurons in worms’ brains. It was actually so cool an, at times, felt like I was in Tony Stark's lab.

But the absolute best part for me was Project Day. The group was split into 17 teams, each with four people, and we were tasked with building insulated cameras loaded with geomagnetic detectors, temperature sensors, and other stuff. WE had to design the cameras ourselves and find a way to fit the electronics inside for easy replacement, we are also had to ensure the battery was very well insulated to ensure its efficiency in cooler temperatures. These cameras are actually going to be used by researchers to study the aurora borealis in Alaska by creating a 3D timelapse from multiple locations. How incredible is that?  

Our team, the Narwhales, came up with a design we called WHAL-E (partly because of our name and partly inspired by Wall-E). I genuinely think ours was the best—it was creative, functional, and had some fun personality in the design (googly eyes). I loved how we collaborated as a team to solve problems and bring the concept to life. Knowing that our work will contribute to real research makes me so proud.  

Overall, this trip was unforgettable. It combined learning, creativity, and hands-on projects in the best way possible. If you ever get the chance to do something like this, don’t hesitate—it’s absolutely worth it!