Liam Warner is a 5th-year student studying electrical engineering and music. Music technology initially inspired him to pursue electrical engineering, making his involvement with the OctoDrum project particularly exciting. The OctoDrum, nicknamed Ocho, combines engineering and music by playing a steel tongue drum using custom hardware and mallet arm designs. Liam's role in the project is to expand Ocho's musicianship by developing and programming music generation algorithms. He is exploring ways to teach Ocho music composition and improvisation methodologies while also deepening his understanding of musicality, a concept so innately human. This exploration seeks to demonstrate how robots and humans can learn about music performance from each other. The Design for Social Impact (DSI) experience has highlighted for him the importance of creativity in STEM and has encouraged him to approach technical problems from new perspectives. It has been an invaluable experience, one that he will carry forward throughout his career.
The Design for Social Impact (DSI) certificate is an interdisciplinary program for open-minded, inquisitive students who desire to develop the design skills and practices they will need to serve society as collaborative thinkers, informed doers, and accountable leaders. This certificate is perfect for anyone at OSU, no matter your major, who wants to build skills in design and leadership to become effective problem-solvers and impactful leaders. If you’re interested, you can declare the certificate through your major advisor or by reaching out to a DSI program advisor.
