Project of the Week - Design a Gift

Tomorrow there is a visiting speaker to Thayer named Alexander Slocum from MIT, and all this week I've been working on making him a handmade gift from Thayer. There were many challenges in the machine shop getting everything right, but at the end, I'm really proud of what I made! In the photo below, on top you can see a stirling engine - it runs off of a heat differential. Below you can see a mug that would be filled with hot water, which would then transfer the heat to the aluminum top to the stirling engine. I didn't make the engine, but thought up the whole concept and made the whole stand. I spent all day today finishing the pieces, sanding them really nicely, putting the plate on the front with small brass nails, finishing the wood in the woodship with a water resistant coating and even gluing a piece of Dartmouth green felt onto the bottom. I informally named the piece "No Energy Left Behind."