Jiri Praus’s sculptures are beautiful and inspiring. For Mother’s Day I wanted to make my wife an LED heart that pulses to the holder’s heart beat. Unfortunately, I lack two things that Jiri has — skill and talent. Undaunted, I cobbled together a rough facsimile that required less complex electronics…

As a white male tech professor I’m not exactly the go-to demographic for creating a feeling of inclusion among marginalized students. But even a BOWG (bald old white guy) can create a more encouraging and inclusive classroom experience. Here are some very simple thoughts. Showcase Diverse STEM Stars: Use your…

Several students have recently dropped by office hours or emailed me for internship and job search advice. While I’m writing this the week of the Spring career fair and a week before the Tech & Entrepreneurship Fair, I’m also posting this online to share this advice with future students. SHOW UP: Do…

Last Edited — Jan. 2023 I’m a University Professor, and I teach an intro course in SwiftUI for iOS Development. You can find hundreds of free, professional videos on my own YouTube channel, including all those used in my full Zero to Full Stack SwiftUI course, free on YouTube and…

We want our students to get excited about coding, but too often first coding experiences involve uninspiring concepts like fibonacci sequences or find-the-prime numbers. This semester we tried something different — introducing coding through the Circuit Playground Express, a microcontroller packed with colorful LED lights, touch sensors, an accelerometer…

Project Description: I’m a professor as well as proud alumnus at Boston College, so in preparation for the School’s appearance on ESPN College Gameday, I thought I’d create a “faux neon” team logo sign using electro-luminescent wire. EL wire looks great in the dark, but don’t expect to see the sign…

Boston College Fulton Hall 460 has a haunted pumpkin. Touch the pumpkin if you dare. The pumpkin’s ghost will detect the presence of a member of “the living” and will mock your feigned courage. So how does it work? It’s a real, carved pumpkin, but the pumpkin has a…

UPDATE: While exercises used in this class are linked below, there are additional YouTube videos on both MakeCode as well as CircuitPython for the CircuitPlayground Express on my YouTube channel: Find this and more at: https://bit.ly/GallaugherYouTube Our “Digital Technologies: Strategy & Use” core course for (mostly) freshmen business students combines…

Capacitive Touch on the Circuit Playground Express allows an alligator clip attached to Baby Groot’s Leaves to receive a “touch” signal when the leaves are touched. Difficulty Level : Easy Materials: Circuit Playground Express (CPX): I suggest buying the $29.95 Base Kit, as it comes with a USB Mini to Standard USB cable that…