Make: Volume 93

My career never prepared me for electronics

manufacturing.

In 2011, I had time on my hands after leaving

a biotechnology company I had helped start, and

my daughter’s head of school asked if I’d help

set up a new makerspace in their 6–12 grade

school. As a lifelong tinkerer who believed in the

importance of making in education, I jumped at

the chance. I ended up staying for many years

as the Resident Tinkerer. While there, I saw a

persistent lack of options for students to explore

hands-on electronics, engineering, and coding.

So, in 2014, Lectrify was born to address this.

I knew nothing about electronics manufacturing

and initially didn’t worry ...