Who are you and what activities are you engaged in at Rice?

Hi, I’m Caz Smith. I’m a sophomore Mech-E going for the Engineering Design Minor. I’ve basically lived in the OEDK for the past 12 months, going from ENGI 120 to ENGI 200 to SEED to now ENGI 210. I love building and working on projects, and I spend way more time here than is recommended or healthy. As of writing this now I have four separate ongoing personal projects that I sometimes inch forward in the OEDK, but I like to take my time with them.

What is one thing that you have made that you are proud of?
What is one thing that you want to make (this semester or in the future)?

One recent thing I’ve made that I’m proud of is this little guy, my strandbeest. He comes from a line of thinking inspired by the great mechanical artist Theo Jansen, who builds giant walkers that roam the beaches of the world. I designed and laser cut mine over the summer, and it’s my pride and joy. Currently, my plan is to scale up the size of my little pet, bringing him from about 4″ tall to a foot tall. Then I’ll motorize it and give it a brain, potentially sentience.

What is one thing that you hope to learn in ENGI 210?

I’m super excited to learn the CNC machine. That’s something that I have absolutely no experience doing. Most of my prototyping has been one-offs, so the idea of making a mold to replicate many copies is fascinating to me.