On March 26, 2018, Dr. Jeremy Qualls presented a poster on his experience leading a service-learning class that utilizes the Makerspace on SSU's campus. Dr. Qualls partnered with a community organization that serves some of the homeless population of Sonoma County. According to the community organization, Homeless with Pets, there are a significant number of people living in their vehicles. One significant concern for people living in a vehicle relates to mold due to poor air circulation. Dr. Qualls took this information and made it a core feature of his service-learning class with Sonoma State undergraduates studying physics.
Related: My Experiences at the 2018 Campus Compact National Conference
SSU students were given the assignment of creating a product in the Makerspace that could help to address the issue of mold in a vehicle. Students, working in groups, needed to come up with an idea to solve this problem, design a product, and then create a prototype in the Makerspace. Once the prototype was created, it was tested to see if it actually could function. The best of the solutions (those that functioned and seemed to have the greatest likelihood of addressing the problem) were given to the community partner to utilize in a vehicle to see if the product is effective. The community partner will provide information to Dr. Qualls on the effectiveness of the prototype and this will inform future projects.
Related: Welcome, Jeremy & Missy!