Jeannette Circe, mechanical engineering senior and new president of Cooper's chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), knew all too well the stresses faced by students learning online. Last year, she had been a TA for EID101, so she knows many second-year students who have never been on campus. When she toured the AACE Lab this summer, she was excited at the possibilities the fabrication lab offered, and realized she could learn how to use some of the new equipment while creating a memento for students arriving for classes on campus this fall. 

"I wanted to do something special for the ME department for the first and second years to welcome them to campus," she recently said.

She'd initially planned to make patches using the AACE lab's CNC embroidery machine, but put that plan on hold, deciding instead to use the laser cutter to fashion earrings, keychains, and charms out of 1/8-inch thick acrylic she'd found in different labs in 41 Cooper Square. She used OnShape to make her initial drawings, and then Harrison Tyler, the AACE Lab's director, helped her export the drawing into Rhino, the software that interfaces with the laser cutter. 

The AACE Lab, located on the fourth floor of the Foundation Building, includes a range of 3D printers; laser cutters that can cut paper, acrylic, metal, and other materials as well as a CNC router that cuts wood, aluminum, and plastics; an embroidery machine for converting picture files into images embroidered onto fabric; VR headsets, and other tools for making models, art pieces, and whatever fabrication needs students might have--even for back-to-school tchotchkes.

Jeannette, who gave out the more than 70 souvenirs she'd created in the lab during the MechE orientation event, takes the helm of ASME this year, and is excited that her last year at Cooper will be in person.