NuVu's Session 2 started on Monday. We are running three studios:

• Brainwaive Art & Music
• Drawing Robots
• Interactive Storybook

The kids were learning the basics during the first days. Today, the students will brainstorm project ideas and form teams. 

Clara, our photographer rock star,  took a series of snapshots yesterday. Enjoy the slideshow!

 

"Selfie" culture, deep web and online learning - these were some of the trending topics that our students chose to explore through short animated films in a 2-week studio that ended last week.  The films made their premier at Digitally Connected, a conference on youth and media organized by Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, UNICEF, and the metaLAB (at) Harvard.  The conference had a few hundred attendees and speakers from around the world discussing the future and role of social media.  Our students talked about the inspiration behind making the films and answered questions after their films were showcased.

Check out the videos below!

Selfie-ism

Deep Web

Mission Control

Day 2 of Genius Camp was dedicated to a photography workshop where students learnt the basics of photography and composition and then put these skills to use in a design-build-photograph activity. Boston photographer Nate Tia (

For the activity, students teamed-up in small groups to build their own UFO models which would be used to create a "fake" UFO photo later in the day.

Nate and the students discussed the plausibility of UFO's and the best photography methods and devices that could be used to create a "realistic" photo of a UFO sighting in the context of Kendall Square.



Students used foil pie dishes, tin foil, paint, foam, cardboard, electrical tape, modelling wood, string and various other materials to design and build their UFOs ready to hover above Kendell Square.





Prepared with UFO in hand, we made our way to Kendall Square, only to be surprised by a sudden downpour. The students delved into the rain and tested out various vantage points and perspectives for creating their Kendall Square UFO-sightings against the murky backdrop of rainclouds and spotted sun rays.





And the results were pretty amazing and realistic! Here are some of the Kendall Square UFO-sighting photos composed by the students (with NO Photoshop enhancements FYI):

On August 2nd, NuVu's students proudly presented artistic robots, mind-driven cars, spinning globes and an unique storybook. The students  showcased what they had accomplished in only 9 days of summer camp; to the astonishment of the audience.

The Drawing Robots Studio presented a multitude of robots that were showcasing their artistic potential. Robots included a 3D Painter, a circle drawing robot, a Pencil Walker, a Magnet Mania Paint Board, and a Color Fan. 

The students from the Interactive Storybook Studio took turns in reading their story to the audience. "After the Fog" is a story about a girl that wakes up in a world of clones and ultimately saves that world. You can read the script on the studio's website .

The Brainwave Art and Music projects impressed parents and fellow students alike. Projects included a Brainwave Orchestra, a Mind Painter, a Brain Mobile, a Brainwave Race Car, and a Spinning LED Globe. Kids and parents loved to try out the spinning globe. It allows the operator to get real-time feedback on the activity of his or her brain by wearing an EEG headset. More details are available on the studio's website .

Thanks to our coaches Sean, David, Eric, Saba, Kedaar, and the Interns! They all helped Saeed to make the presentations a success.

Nanotechnology studio coach

"Nanotechnology of Growing Architecture" studio by Dr. Ryan Wartena 9/29/10 Day 7 of the NuVu NANOGA studio was focused on the first cycle experiments of growth of copper crystal structures on fundamental geometric shapes. The NANOGA carefully took notes on the preparation of their copper electrodes and resulting geometries and on the preparation of the copper sulfate electrolyte solution. We collectively wired the electrochemical cells and prepared the power supplies. The NANOGA learned how to use a digital multimeter to measure Voltage and current and calculate power. Understandings of the relationships between current flows and relative spacings of electrode geometries were discussed and understood. The Voltage space was explored and an upper-limit was discovered and discussed. Electrodeposition of copper dendritic architectures was successful on a number of electrode sets and it was noticed that the growth locations were correlated with the relative proximity of the two electrodes, electrolysis time and amount of copper source material on the electrode being dissolved. Tomorrow, we will critically discuss the factors resulting growth, and as in the optimization through cyclic repetition, we will apply lessons learned to new electrode geometric sets and operation parameters to further direct our intentional growth and crystallization.

In

Feature Articles:

NuVu students interviewed business owners, citizens, and visitors to understand the most pressing stories happening around Cambridge and Boston. Here are a selection of some of the feature stories from

Fenway Articles:

"Day one. Anticipation, nerves, hope, and dedication. Fans line up seven hours early for opening day at Fenway park. Everyone remembers the first ball game they attended and the sentimental value that came with it. The smell of the cracker jacks and roasting hot dogs, the over-dose of green and red. The chairs folded up, waiting for fans to fill them. The screams of excitement and joy. The cheers of pure dedication. On one hand a baseball mit, on the other a fathers hand." - by Sonya Raab These articles take different views of Opening Day on April 13, 2012 at Fenway Park, the baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts which has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use.

Fan-Way New

Generations

Wandering and Wondering

Fenway and its People

The 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park

The New Women

A Day at Fenway

First Day at Fenway

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

In the beginning, there was a menorah-like shape. This design for the smoothie machine featured a tunnel-like system that relied mostly on gravity and used very little electricity.

That design never made it to built form from the paper because it could not function on its own. The aim of the project was to be able to replace any human controlled interaction with the device with robotic, automated components, and this design failed completely on this basis. The next idea was based on an axis-swivel octagon that would contain chambers holding different frozen fruit. The idea was to create rotating motors under each chamber so fruit could be evenly dispensed. Two issues we encountered with this design were (1) the use of too many motors (we had a maximum limit of up to 7 motors), and (2) problems creating an octagon.

Even after switching to a hexagon later in the process, we realized that the fruit would be too heavy to pivot. So we decided to scratch that idea and instead move into a new idea: Instead of dispensing fruit, wed push fruit into a funnel that we had in our original design.

While part of our group worked on making the fruit container, the other part of the group worked on making a wooden base/table that would hold all of the components together. With a little sweat and a lot of power tools, we were able to create something solid.

The next issue that we addressed was ways to allow juice and other liquids to flow into the funnel toward the blender. We came up with a design that used camel backs with the spouts removed and attached to servo motors in order to block and allow the flow of liquids.

The funnel itself was initially a prototype that eventually got cut a few inches and was re-used in the final product. It is currently duct-taped and super-glued onto the rest of the wooden base. In the end, all the components were assembled as a cohesive unit. picpic

Film by Jillian Costello, Imogene Edson, Meri Winter Film Synopsis: The nation of India has a total population of 1.15 billion people. Nearly half of those people live in poverty. Children are among the most adversely affected by this tragic situation. Problems like unsanitary living conditions, malnutrition and lack of education are among the most difficult barriers for children who deserve a brighter future. An organization called Groupshot in collaboration with Indias Sesame Workshop has recognized that some of these challenges can be overcome with technology. By gaining access to families through a surprisingly large amount of cellphone users in India, Groupshot is developing educational games for Android phones that focus on teaching essential life skills through building positive routines like better hygiene, emotional well-being and constructive physical activity. This video will tell the story of how these games are developed and what kinds of challenges Groupshot faces in bringing their product to India.

The

As a follow-up to the studio, the Groupshot team along with NuVu Studio is planning a 10-day follow-up workshop in the field in Delhi, India. Students from the Learning Lab India studio will be participating in this second phase learning excursion. Departing early December, the trip will continue the design work and education from the Learning Lab India studio. The in-field workshop will provide an immersive context that includes an introduction to ethnographic work, field testing, conducting focus groups, and participatory interactive design sessions with the children for whom they designed the learning games.

The video above was produced by students from NuVu's Learning Lab India studio to get grant support for this next stage in-field workshop that will allow them to iterate on their game designs toward a more refined end-product.

The Recycling Game is an educational game created by NuVu students Natalie Kramm and Jordan Smith who participated in NuVu's Games & Magic Workshop in Baton Rouge this past summer. Natalie and Jordan wanted to create an interactive and fun game to teach people the importance of recycling by focusing on HOW to recycle, compost and throw away trash CORRECTLY and thereby making their actions purposeful. Click on the image above to begin playing the Recycling Game. It's definitely addicting and fun!