March 6, 2016

Greetings,

Michele Archer, director of our Makerspace program, recently took her 6th grade Engineering & Design classes to visit Lehigh University's Wilbur Powerhouse Maker Space. When she saw this gigantic cardboard dinosaur hanging from the ceiling (right), she knew she had to get the story behind it, to share with all of her students.

Take a love of origami (the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes) - a homework assignment - and an invitation to a Halloween costume party.

In the hands of Lehigh University student Lisa Glover, those unrelated parts morphed into a business called KitRex. 

With an assignment from her grad level course in technical entrepreneurship - and the impending Halloween party - she found inspiration in YouTube videos of industrial-sized origami and thought, "I like dinosaurs - I think I'll make myself a dinosaur costume."

Armed with large sheets of cardboard and a laser cutter, Ms. Glover started on the first of what became nine life-size velociraptors she has crafted. Sized to fit her petite frame - and with an upgraded model offering a special mesh panel so she could see out, and breathe! - the 15-foot dino was an immediate hit on campus.

When I saw a life-sized velociraptor run into the room my face lit up with joy ... I felt like I was really alive when the dinosaurs were.                     - Rose Shingles '19

Ms. Glover said she was encouraged to pursue the velociraptor-making as a business, but she thought a smaller version would be more marketable. She worked up a prototype and put it on Kickstarter (an online way to fund a business idea), hoping to make $8,000 for her idea. She was stunned when the campaign went viral and she had $110,000 to support her dream.

Fast forward to this past Thursday, when Ms. Glover - now a Lehigh alum and owner of her own business - visited both of Swain's town meetings to talk about her project. Making an entrance inside her velociraptor, she immediately had the K-8 students' attention.

She then went on to explain how she is growing her small business. An initial - and continuing challenge - is that she attempts to take care of all the business' needs herself. "I had to learn that I can't do that," she told her audiences. "I just don't know about everything so I need to get help for the parts that are new to me."

With the help of two more Kickstarter campaigns, Ms. Glover now has two "mini" puzzle-crafts on the market - a pterodactyl and a velociraptor, with a triceratops kit coming soon. Glover sells them online through her site, kit-rex.com, and also on Amazon, and at local retailers like the Da Vinci Center and Moravian Book Store.

In her remarks, Ms. Glover also confirmed 
some key principles that are emphasized in our Engineering & Design classes and other Makerspace programs: collaboration, thinking outside the box, and keep improving your design!
 
The students had plenty of other questions for her:

Q: Was there any part of the design process you wish you could skip?
A: There were a lot of prototypes to make, as I worked out all the bugs. But it made for a better product in the end.

Q: Where did you get the name "KitRex" from?
A: I was sitting in a boring class so I was writing down some name ideas - my friend sitting next to me said, "How about Kit-TRex" because she thought my velociraptor was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I dropped the "T" and KitRex was born!
 
Q: Do you make big dinos to sell? 
A: They have to be made to fit a particular person - mine is small because I'm short.

Q: Would you like to go on the TV show "Shark Tank"?
A: Yes, I'm trying to get on the show - I have a contact who's helping me get in touch with them. 


Q: Do you ever bring your dino costume to birthday parties?
A: I haven't but that's a great idea!

You just never know where the next Big Idea is going to come from!


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The Swain School
1100 South 24th Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103