On Friday, May 2, the Fab Lab Student Showcase filled the Trailside Atrium at NOVA’s Manassas Campus with hands-on projects from NOVA Makers in art, biology, engineering, English, graphic design, the STEAM Club, SkillsUSA, and more. The showcase spotlighted student creativity and problem-solving—powered by the Fab Lab’s tools, teamwork, and mentorship. Guests also voted for their favorite project in the People’s Choice Award.
Student highlights included:
Bryan Jimenez, NOVA Makers – CMYK Print
Bryan created a CMYK 3D print after observing Fab Lab Technician Patrick Waters print an award with shifting colors. Using Excel, Bryan learned to control color placement—like setting the background red and letters white—by selecting specific sections.
He also experimented with a “wipe tower,” which clears the print head between color changes. When switching between black and green, the resulting mix appeared dark green from a distance. This sparked his interest in programming tool paths and adjusting color data by layer.
“I’m most proud of writing a custom program for the project, which will be featured in MAKE Magazine,” he says.
Blake Rockwell & Dylan Townsend, SkillsUSA – Additive Manufacturing
Tasked with designing a creative, fun, and 3D-printable toy, Blake and Dylan used a weighted decision matrix and chose to create modular building tools. Their original “build-your-own bridge” idea was too complex to print, so they pivoted to 3D-printed shapes and joints that connect with various coffee stirrers—letting users build freely.
Kaidan Stiles, EGR 121 – Box Transport Mechanism
For an engineering assignment, Kaidan built a scaled-down conveyor system modeled after warehouse automation.
“Finishing this project is a big relief,” Kaidan says. “The most fun part was connecting the pieces and seeing them work together, especially since they all had to fit precisely with the main component.”
Judith Cruz Reyes, Biology Honors – Eukaryotic Cell Adventure Board Game
Judith and her team created a biology-themed board game where players race from the nucleus to the cell membrane. The game includes organelles and cards of varying difficulty. Players collect ATP coins to move ahead or send others back.
“I’m most proud of the board, which I built myself,” Judith says. “We scrapped our first idea and made this from scratch—it turned out great.”
Raman Rodman, Fatou Bob, Veron Kotey, SkillsUSA – Self-Sorting Trash Bin
The team addressed recycling inefficiencies by designing a bin that separates materials mechanically. Plastic drops into one compartment, while metal is held in place and released by an electromagnet. Their project earned a silver medal at the SkillsUSA state competition.
Jason Armstrong, ENG 112 – Acoustic Levitation
Jason turned an English class media project into a working model of acoustic levitation.
“It uses sound waves to create pockets of high and low pressure, allowing a small bead to float between them,” he explains.
Annabelle Betz, SkillsUSA – Sculpture & Design Challenge – Adaptable PAPR
To make respiratory protection affordable for welding hobbyists, Annabelle designed a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) that works with existing headgear and costs under $100. Her PAPR took first place in the Fall 2024 NOVA Fab Lab Design Challenge.
She also entered a forged sculpture of a hawk and mouse and earned gold at the SkillsUSA competition. Attendees of the showcase awarded this third place in the people’s choice award.
“I’m really proud of the snake I forged from rebar—it was my first time forging, and it turned out better than expected,” she says.
Diana Nayar, Graphic Design II – GlowSmith
Diana designed a treasure chest with a locking key mechanism.
“I’m proud of the final box—I had to redesign it after the first version didn’t fit.”
Diana used CNC machines and several prototypes to fix alignment issues caused by double-layered cardboard.
Angel Herrera, ART 132 – Bold Critter
“I created this abstract piece using geometric shapes for my 3D design class,” Angel says. “It’s part of my ‘creatures’ theme and meant to look menacing. I’m surprised how stable it is—it changes appearance when flipped.”
Alvin Sin, Logan Driscoll, Omar Obeid, EGR 121 – Bascule Bridge Model
“I love civil engineering, so I handled everything from design to build—with my teammates focusing on documentation,” Alvin says.
The bridge combines a truss and gear system strong enough to support his weight. “I stood on it during our presentation—it held up perfectly.”
Kyomi Ota, Biology Honors – Active Immunity: The Board Game
Kyomi and her classmates built a board game where players use cell tokens to protect organs and complete diagnoses. Players roll dice, draw cards, and steal from others to win.
“I’m most proud of how it all came together—it actually worked when we played it in class,” she says.
Attendees of the showcase awarded this first place in the people’s choice award.
Phuc Le, Irene Tran, Galal Abouelregal, Youssef Hassan, SkillsUSA – Let Us Cook!
This team created an immersive VR restaurant game for SkillsUSA. Players work together to serve customers and keep their business running.
Phuc Le is especially proud of the customer AI, which involved advanced movement and interaction coding.
Attendees of the showcase awarded this second place in the people’s choice award.
Raima Kazi, Yaremy Stasiuk, Bryce Austin, Than Ther Ko, EGR 121 & 122 – Robert’s Walker & Flame Tarp
Project 1: A cane-operated walker that lifts grocery bags for an elderly man with arthritis. The ratcheting and pendulum system is fully mechanical, per the user’s request.
Project 2: A wildfire defense system that uses spring-loaded pistons to launch a fireproof tarp over a house.
“I’m proud of how we worked as a team to create something functional as first-year students,” Raima says.
STEAM Club – Rockets & Workshops
This semester, the STEAM Club built and launched rockets using materials from a member’s prior rocketry experience. Students laser-cut custom fins and participated in skills-based workshops including laser cutting and sticker printing.
Ethan Cortes, Design Challenge – Variable Visor
Inspired by a roly-poly bug, Ethan designed a foldable visor helmet that's easier to use than goggles—especially for glasses wearers. The biggest challenge: shaping the clear visor, which he traced and cut from a flexible panel molded to a sphere. His visor took second place in the Fall 2024 NOVA Fab Lab Design Challenge.
Erika Crane, Design Challenge – Bespoke Cap
Erika created a ponytail-friendly cap with a built-in adjustable loop.
“It worked with my hair high, low, or off-center—no ponytail holder needed,” she says.
The final product mimics a shoelace system using rivets and hooks.