The University of Michigan Library's Shapiro Design Lab (SDL) seeks undergraduate students to be Design Lab Interns. In this ever-evolving experimental space founded on peer learning, engaged learning, and interdisciplinarity, interns assist with projects, provide consultations and participate in growing the Lab with their own ideas and passions. The work of the Lab is guided by our principles and encompasses a variety of learning opportunities and projects within three different spaces, all located on the first floor of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library:
PIE Space (Prototype-Inspire-Explore):
An open area that features a Prototyping Cart, collaboration hub with 55” monitor, Design Library, whiteboards, large screens, and a repurposed vending machine, the Design-o-Matic 4000.
Media Production Rooms:
Two rooms offer a variety of tools and software that can be used for audio production, motion graphics, video post-production, CAD, graphic design.
Workshop:
An area with a number of "making" tools (letterpress, sewing machine, vinyl cutter/heat press, soldering station, laser cutter/engraver, 3D printers), as well as a collaboration hub, and whiteboards.
In addition, Lab Interns, undergraduate students who assist in the day-to-day operations of the Lab and contribute to the community of the Lab through events, projects, and consultations.
Responsibilities:
- Work a minimum of 10 hours per week up to a maximum of 15 hours per week at $15/hour
- Assist with completion of Design Lab Projects
- Using Adobe Illustrator and other graphic design software to simplify and translate textbook graphics into braille and prepare them for tactile printing
- Utilizing Python-based forms of OCR (optical character recognition) and methods of data analysis (including aspects of machine learning) to understand and analyze historical written data from crowdsourcing projects
- Share your project progress with fellow Interns, Residents, the Design Lab community, and (where applicable) on the Lab’s blog, Lab Notes
- Provide peer consultation and instruction to Design Lab users and community members
- Assistance with learning software/hardware
- Troubleshooting
- Exploring and developing your own interests and talents as part of the learning community
- Engage in bi-weekly meeting about project progress with the the Design Lab team
Qualifications:
- Experience using maker technologies with an emphasis on digital fabrication, and/or media production
- Dependable and timely communication across multiple media
- Demonstrated ability to be self-motivated and work independently
- Ability and desire to work both collaboratively and cooperatively in the service of building a learning community in the Lab
- Interest in collaborating with individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and viewpoints
- Ability to respond to changing needs within a project and with the Design Lab overall, given its exploratory and experimental character
- Passion for and alignment with the Design Lab’s principles
Desired Qualifications:
Experience with:
- Intermediate electronics (circuit boards, Arduinos/Raspberry Pi, IoT devices
- Additive and subtractive fabrication (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC, )
- Audio/Video equipment and software
- Augmented and Virtual Reality
- Graphic Design
- Data analysis, especially with R- or Python-based packages, as well as experience with machine learning concepts
Click to Apply:
Complete the google form intern application (including uploading your resume) by Sunday, January 22, 2023. Interviews will be on a rolling basis. If you have any questions, please email shapirodesignlab@umich.edu.