Matt's Bio and Abstract

Biography:
Matt Gerhardt is a senior at the University of Southern California, graduating in May 2008 with a BS in mechanical engineering. Born and raised in Redondo Beach, California, he discovered his love of both multimedia and engineering at an early age, something he has carried to this day.

Gerhardt has worked at the Institute for Multimedia Literacy for two years as a peer mentor, assisting other students with their own multimedia projects. His summers were spent working as an intern at the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, applying what he has learned in classes to real-world environments. His multimedia skills include Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Final Cut Pro.

Abstract:
Aspects of engineering are all around us; we interact with them everyday. The reasoning behind why these interactions occur, though, isn’t necessarily evident.

“Enlightening Engineering” aims to reveal the man behind the curtain, by utilizing a Rube Goldberg machine to explain different aspects of engineering and science. A Rube Goldberg device is a large, complicated machine that uses multiple, semi-arbitrary steps to accomplish an exceedingly simple task. In this case, the task at hand is to understand engineering.

There are two components to this project: the machine itself, and a website. The machine will be on temporary display in the IML building. The website expands on the machine, providing the necessary facts about the machine to give a greater understanding. Multiple options are given to the viewer; they will need to use the knowledge they have learned to keep the machine ‘operating.’

This project is targeted towards high school students, as an educational tool.