Electrical and computer engineering professor David Johns (ECE) is taking a one-year leave of absence from teaching—but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped inspiring young people to become future engineers.
Johns just launched Icewire Makerspace, a midtown-Toronto facility that provides workshops and courses for youth ages 12 and older interested in electronics, robotics, 3D printing and microcontrollers.
“I wanted to help out the community,” said Johns, who hopes the initiative inspires young people to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at a post-secondary level.
Depending on the focus, by the end of a six-week course, members can create their own microcontroller that senses light and temperature, or a 3D-printed model, or even their own robot.
“You can give a student a computer and start teaching them programming, but I don’t think…
