{"id":328,"date":"2026-02-25T22:50:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/?p=328"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:46:10","slug":"328-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/328-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 5 &#8211; IAW Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This Week&#8217;s Goals<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-e45029e34c077410e68bacc241c2c5f0\">In Week 5, we focused on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\" class=\"wp-block-list has-contrast-background-color has-background has-small-font-size\">\n<li>Gaining first-hand welding experience at Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Validating and refining our core welding mechanics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening our partnership with IAW<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-1-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-550\" style=\"aspect-ratio:4\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-1-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-1-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-1-1536x1153.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-1.png 1835w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-bottom is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0154d0b4 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Industrial Arts Workshop Site Visit<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-74633ef0f9215bb753f671e3027254ce\">On Monday, February 9, our team visited&nbsp;<strong>Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW)<\/strong>&nbsp;for a hands-on welding session. Before visiting IAW, we had already developed two core mechanics:&nbsp;<strong>Line Weld<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Point Weld<\/strong>. During the workshop, we learned these techniques hands-on, first practicing line welds, then combining line and point welds to assemble an art piece.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209180449-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-561\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209180449-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209180449-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209180449-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209180449-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209180449-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-2-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-2-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-2-1536x1153.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-visit-2.png 1835w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174853-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-554\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174853-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174853-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174853-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174853-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174853-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color has-sml-medium-font-size wp-elements-b6b9134fcfbb4eb80c90ea4a05968204\">The experience validated our direction in mechanics and revealed important insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-helmet-767x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-556\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-helmet-767x1024.png 767w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-helmet-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-helmet-768x1025.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IAW-helmet.png 1032w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d0a80eed1944846eb5b7e6ac1be6b0d2\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><strong>1. Safety Awareness<\/strong><br><br>Helmet use is non-negotiable. Safety is deeply embedded in welding practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8416ac662f745300ecf7235b23cbd59a\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><strong>2. Weld Slower Than Expected<\/strong><br><br>Beginners naturally move too fast. Successful welding requires patience and controlled motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-aee00ac331a8676b5ffa5697d25283b3\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"><strong>3. Sensory Feedback Is Crucial<br><\/strong><br>Visual cues and sound are essential for evaluating weld quality in real time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174907-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174907-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174907-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174907-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174907-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174907-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-582a511f51de4aead7e035ff4e4638b6\"><strong>4. Creative Engagement<br><\/strong><br>Assembling an art piece is highly motivating for students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174850-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174850-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174850-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174850-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174850-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG20260209174850-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-cb638f9cd490572acb94212f5c5ceb5c\"><strong>5. Flow State<\/strong><br><br>Welding induces a calm, focused \u201czen\u201d state: a key emotional driver behind long-term engagement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exciting News!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-0111f410 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" style=\"margin-left:0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"599\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ETC-Unitmark-square-w-on-r.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ETC-Unitmark-square-w-on-r.png 599w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ETC-Unitmark-square-w-on-r-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ETC-Unitmark-square-w-on-r-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-9c7a67ce1d4c829e791ef8f55c46b81c\"><strong>x<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/iaw-logo.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/iaw-logo.jpg 576w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/iaw-logo-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/iaw-logo-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1533ea9ca9a7713166ad3fee625ba983\">After in-depth discussions, <strong>IAW will officially partner with us on this project!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5edc5e639300345922c79383b84f29b9\">They will serve as a professional reference for welding education and collaborate with us during playtests using their students (ages 15\u201321), directly aligning with our target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5d476c6a12411b648ec5669b285dbf7d\">This partnership gives our project strong educational grounding and real learner feedback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Week&#8217;s Goals In Week 5, we focused on: Industrial Arts Workshop Site Visit On Monday, February 9, our team visited&nbsp;Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW)&nbsp;for a hands-on welding session. Before visiting IAW, we had already developed two core mechanics:&nbsp;Line Weld&nbsp;and&nbsp;Point Weld. During the workshop, we learned these techniques hands-on, first practicing line welds, then combining line [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-preproduction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":624,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328\/revisions\/624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}