This course will be offered to graduate and undergraduate students who wish to pursue their own special talents, follow their passions, and expand possibilities and creative impulses to create a small object of their own design. The course is cross-listed with Architecture, Neuroscience, and Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS) and will intentionally bring together students with different backgrounds and experiences. The course explores the ideation, design processes, and fabrication of a functioning prototype. A “small object” is defined as something that is able to fit comfortably through a standard doorway. Potential areas of exploration include, but are not limited to: jewelry, furniture, experimental scientific instruments, electronic devices, architectural objects, lighting, cutlery, packaging, and musical instruments. Student selection is competitive and through application only. Proposal submissions are due by Aug. 18 (mid-night), with preference given to graduate students in Architecture, Neuroscience, and SEAS. Previous experience building your small object is not required. Passion for your object—and for building it—are critical for a successful proposal and for success in the course. (Example proposals will be provided with course description material.) Each student will be able to follow their own path as they acquire professional-level competencies in designing and creating their small object, with an understanding that design disciplines are increasingly expanding and converging. As such, students will be encouraged to explore as many university resources as possible to achieve the desired outcome. The methodology used to complete tasks in this course will give students an understanding of a typical industrial design process while equipping them with skills, concepts, and tools used to create scientific-grade instrumentation. The course will encourage creative and scientific exploration, while fostering an interdisciplinary nexus for fabrication technology, design pedagogy, and problem-solving. While each student will pursue an individual project, true innovation often results from cross-pollination between disciplines. To facilitate interdisciplinary interaction and expand possibility, students from different disciplines will work together as they explore the development and fabrication of their small object. Weekly reviews will be coupled with training and seminars. Students will also have access to multiple state-of-the-art design and fabrication facilities that include manual and computer-controlled manufacturing machines, electronic equipment, rapid prototyping tools, and computer aided drafting (CAD) and rendering programs. Students will be exposed to design drawing techniques, physical modeling methods, and the concept of designing for manufacture. Students will acquire professional-level competence in two- and three-dimensional design—using aesthetic sensibility, digital/analog tools, and critical thinking—combined with a working knowledge of materials and methods in an environmentally responsible context. The course will be structured around teaching modules, studio time, and critique periods. During class sessions, students will be encouraged to actively engage in critiquing their fellow students’ work. Technique workshops covering different project-related types of fabrication will be held during the second half of the semester. Enrollment is limited to no more than 9 students.