2019 Perry Photo Challenge Ann Milroy, Finalist
The Grit to the Glory
Most students know about City and East campuses, but what about Innovation Campus? Buses around campus display the LED letters “NIC” but many students don’t realize that it leads to a 455,000 square foot development dedicated to fostering a culture of innovation and research. Even fewer are aware of all the amazing projects and facilities that are within biking distance to the university’s City Campus. Nebraska Innovation Campus provides businesses access to resources and university talent. One project in particular involves UNL students building toys for the new giraffe exhibit at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.
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A bus drives by Nebraska Innovation Campus located at 2021 Transformation Drive on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln Nebraska. We’re all waiting for the “next big thing,” and this is where it happens. Innovation Campus offers a behind-the-scenes look at the research and hard work involved in creating something new. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major
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Awang Hashim, 20-year-old senior civil engineering major, carries building materials into the Nebraska Innovation Studio (NIS) on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska Innovation Studio is a makerspace on Innovation Campus that provides the space and tools for members to create with. NIS opened in October 2015, and there are currently about 320 active members--half students and the rest a mix of faculty, alumni and community members. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
The UNL Theme Park Group members meet in the NIS to research a project for the Lincoln Children’s Zoo on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The zoo is adding a giraffe exhibit and asked the team to build some enrichment toys that stimulate and keep the giraffes engaged while also being safe to use. Many other zoos make toys out of old plastic jugs or crates, but the Lincoln Children’s Zoo wants the Theme Park Group to build some that are more aesthetically pleasing. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
Brennan Sanders, 19-year-old freshman mechanical engineering major, writes down the specs and design for a hose toy that giraffes can rub their horns against on March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Theme Park Group was given 20 ideas by the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Their job was to figure out how to turn those ideas into realities. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
Brennan Sanders, Awang Hashim and John Strope grab tools from the woodshop in the Nebraska Innovation Studio on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Last semester, the team spent time planning, but this semester, they are focusing on building the toys and making them come to life. The Nebraska Innovation Studio teaches students how to use its large variety of tools, including lasers, 3D printers and a large quilting machine. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
John Strope, 20-year-old sophomore mechanical engineering student, uses a table saw to cut a board in the Nebraska Innovation Studios on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Pieces have to be accurately measured for everything to fit in place. This piece of wood will be used in a maze toy that will require a giraffe to navigate its tongue towards treats. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
A large piece of plywood sits on the CNC machine in the Nebraska Innovation Studio on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine carves details into the material after CAD blueprints are uploaded. Director of NIS, David Martin, says the makerspace is important because students wouldn’t have access to any of the large, expensive equipment without it. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
John Strope looks at blueprints with frustration in Nebraska Innovation Studio on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Just because something works in theory, doesn’t mean it will work in real life. Much of the team's process involves failure and learning from mistakes. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
Brennan Sanders attaches spoons to a dowel in the Nebraska Innovation Studio on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Giraffes can only see certain colors so the Theme Park Design Group chooses every detail meticulously. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
John Strope layers pieces of a log feeding toy in the Nebraska Innovation Studio on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Giraffes love to use their tongues. The toy will be filled with food, and a giraffe must maneuver its tongue between the logs to get it. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
Awang Hashim straightens brightly colored hoses on a toy made for a giraffe to rub its horns on in the Nebraska Innovation Studio on Saturday morning, March 9, 2019, in Lincoln Nebraska. The team is finishing up with its first batch of toys. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major -
The Theme Park Design Group carries their toys outside the Nebraska Innovation Studio on March 9, 2019, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The team plans to complete six toys before delivering them to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Once finished, they will be put to the test by seeing if the giraffes use and enjoy them. Photo by Ann Milroy / Junior / Advertising and Public Relations and Broadcasting major