Pilot Make-A-Thon Jr.
March 2-3, 2024
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The Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering (ASBME @ USC) began hosting the Make-A-Thon for undergraduate students inspired by that of UC Davis' in February 2016. This event provides students with a hands-on opportunity to solve a real-world problem in a collaborative environment. By working in teams, students engage in interdisciplinary, cross-functional teamwork to solve a time-sensitive issue.
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In Fall of 2023, ASBME began building a spin-off for high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to offer USC's resources and student mentors for a similar opportunity. High school teams of 4-6 will participate in workshops and work under mentor guidance to prototype a solution to the annual prompt, which is revealed at the beginning of the weekend. The weekend's takeaway is exposure to an engineer's technical skills, such as CAD, machining, and design process.
Condensed Approach
The Make-A-Thon forces participants to undergo months' worth of design process in the course of a few days. This condensed approach enables the Makers to push themselves to see how far they can really go.
Excellence and Professionalism
All teams have the opportunity to enter the production stage and demonstrate their ability to bring a design from concept to realization. This competition offers a unique opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills to industry and academic representatives.
Become part of an Annual Tradition
Be a member of this class of Makers. This event will grow to become an annual cornerstone of Viterbi excellence and will be a legacy of the Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering.