When a positive charge meets a negative charge, you get a circuit. On March 11, Lilly Kensicki, a sophomore mechatronics engineering technology major, took students on an electrifying journey at the Intro to Simple Circuits workshop located in the Design Innovation Hub.
The distinctive opportunities at Kent State University, like the ones at the Design Innovation Hub, prepare students to become lifelong learners who will lead the way in today’s and tomorrow’s global workforce.
The workshop began with a small slideshow presented by Kensicki that explained electric safety, the properties of electricity and the different types of simple circuits. She also shared the spark that led her to love this work.
“My grandpa is an electrician, so I’ve been surrounded by circuits my whole life,” Kensicki said. “When I turned seven, he actually bought me a soldering kit.”
Her passion was evident as she walked attendees through the circuit-making process.
Students created three different circuits of their own with the kits provided by the Design Innovation Hub. Each kit contained wires, LEDs, a resistor that blocks electrical currents, and a breadboard, which is a simple circuit board.
Participants first began by creating a simple circuit, which is one path where electricity flows. It consisted of two wires, a resistor, a battery and an LED.
Then, participants were encouraged to work their way up to a series circuit, which contains two LEDs, a battery and 3 wires. If done correctly both LEDs would light up.
Finally, attendees were challenged with creating a parallel circuit, which is a circuit that has two or more paths for electricity to flow through. The circuit contained two wires, two LEDs, a resistor and a battery, with the same goal of lighting the LEDs.
Once these circuits were made, attendees were invited to play around with the breadboards, creating their own circuits.
At the end of the workshop, Kensicki asked each participant to discuss ideas they already knew, what they learned, and what they would like to learn about for future workshops and opportunities in the DI Hub.
“If you grew up doing crafts, and if that was interesting to you and you want to take the next step, DI Hub is the place to do that,” Kensicki said. “We have so many awesome opportunities for you to be creative, and that can help you in the future.”
Another Intro to Simple Circuits workshop is scheduled for March 18.
Learn more about the Design Innovation Hub events and workshops.