- Hands-on engineering learning. Make to Innovate, or M:2:I, is an Iowa State University project-based, hands-on innovation program where student teams use design creativity to address real-world aerospace engineering problems.
- 1000+ student innovators. Over the last 10 years, more than 1,000 students have participated in M:2:1, from as early as their first year at Iowa State.
- Solving tomorrow’s challenges. M:2:I projects focus on the most pressing challenges in engineering, such as autonomous and electric flight, Mars exploration, robotics, rocketry and more.
- 30 projects. M:2:I began with 56 students working on 8 projects, and has grown to nearly 300 students working on 16 or more projects each semester. Since 2011, M:2:I students have taken on 30 different projects, some spanning many years. Projects have ranged from underwater vehicles to vehicles going to space, and include working with top engineering companies and solving complex problems.
- Partners with engineering industry leaders. M:2:I is supported by the most respected engineering industry leaders, including Boeing, Collins Aerospace, along with funding from the Iowa Space Grant Consortium. Engineers from industry partners also serve as technical advisors on M:2:I projects.
- Multidisciplinary collaboration. M:2:I is open to all majors and students. The most common majors participating in M:2:I are aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering and software engineering – but students studying other types of engineering, STEM and business all come together to combine expertise and maximize learning.
- 4,000 square feet of workspace. The M:2:I workspace is a state-of-the-art facility that features design, electronics and fabrication tools, open six days a week to students. Teams have access to 3-D printers and CNC cutting machines, soldering supplies and electronics instruments – and lab technicians are available to help teams create one-of-a-kind parts.
- Earning credit. Students can earn course credit for their work on M:2:I (AerE 294 and 494) in a “flipped class” approach where faculty and technical advisors mentor students teams on their progress.
- But M:2:1 is more than a class, more than a lab. “M:2:I has allowed me to learn many new hands-on engineering skills and helped me develop my leadership skills on a large, interdisciplinary team. I’ve gained new experiences collaborating on a fast-paced project working on a rocket for a NASA competition that was designed and is being manufactured completely by students. We hold design reviews directly with NASA engineers and receive feedback on our work. Participating in M:2:I has also given me lifelong friends, industry-like experience, and has made me a better engineer!” said Khushi Kapoor, senior in aerospace engineering and M:2:I student.
- Innovating the future. The students in Make to Innovate impress me every day with the amount of determination and skill they put towards the projects they are working on. M:2:I students work hard to accomplish their goals and it shows in how successful our projects are – and in the communication, collaboration and leadership skills each student builds along the way,” Matthew Nelson, M:2:I director. “The result is that we have students that have a very diverse set of skills needed in the workforce. Many companies tell us how our students go into the workforce and continue to grow and become future project managers, VPs and beyond. Make to Innovate has begun to partner with the Student Innovation Center, and this partnership will expand the program beyond aerospace engineering and impact more students in the College of Engineering and across campus. Looking to the future, we have a shared goal of offering all Iowa State students a chance to work on challenging problems and come up with innovative solutions.”
