Source: Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers
Name: Rachel Pizzolato A.K.A. Beauty & Brains With A Twist
Home Town: New Orleans Louisiana
Makerspace: Home.
I am currently a freshman at John Curtis High School in River Ridge Louisiana, and during the school year I participate in beauty pageants, runway modeling, science fairs, and I train year-round as a trampolinist.
I am also an inventor, and a designer at heart, and I always have some sort of gadget or gizmo in the works! And now…. I have an amazing new summer job as a MythBuster on MythBusters Jr!
I have been “making” things since I was a very little girl. Also, My dad, and grandfather, got me started working on all aspects of remodeling houses at a young age. I remember back when I was a very little girl crawling under our house when they were both under it. They were digging a tunnel so they could fit in an area to get to the pipes. I crawled on the other side where they were trying to get to, and then they stopped and asked me if I could cut the pipe and put it back if they showed me how. Of course, I said “Yes”, and since I was already where I needed to be, they attached a rope to a box with all the tools I would need, and they pushed the end of the rope to me with a long piece of pipe. I pulled the box towards me, and I began to fix the pipe. I already knew how to use the saw, but my grandfather showed me how to connect the pipes by demonstrating on a few scraps of plastic pipe. I just did what he told me to do, one step at a time, and the pipe was connected. That kind of opened the door to lots of wire pulling, pipe repairs, and tons of crawl space inspections over the years. I was small back then, but now, I am 15 years old, and almost 6 feet tall, so it isn’t quite as easy to fit into those little spaces anymore!! —-Although being thin helps a bit! I have also been working with my uncle, who is a jeweler, for quite some time. He has taught me many aspects of the jewelry trade, and those things have allowed me to see the little things that make the difference between a finished product being acceptable and that same product “knocking your socks off!!”
I get asked about what type of maker I am all the time. I guess because I am a scientist, at heart, I am always following the scientific method. I know that my research must be able to be repeatable and hold up to scrutiny from my peers. I am always questioning why something happens, and I have a constant desire to find out through experimentation. Although I have been working with turbines for a good portion of my life, I am also interested in the human body- especially rehabilitation of joints. I recently won the Akron Polymer National Championship for my invention called “THE HALO” that has shown promise in the rehabilitation of the wrist, and hand, in injured athletes and geriatric patients. I also enjoy writing essays and poetry. I recently won the AIAA National Championship for my essay, “Astronauts – The Right Stuff Indeed!” and had my poem, “I Wonder” published as part of a compilation. Because my interests are so broad, I really don’t have one area that I focus on. I guess I am an amalgam of all types of makers. I enjoy being able to design, construct, work with electronics, use many different tools from each trade, write, defend my results, and work with others. I have never labeled myself, in any aspect of my life, so I guess that holds true with making! Also, I feel that being involved in the fields of Fashion, Modeling, and Gymnastics has allowed me to see things from many perspectives that I would not have been able to if I was only focused on science.
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Tell us about one of your favorite projects.
The most favorite thing that I have made would be the Science Project that I have been working on for 5 years. It is a continuation project, and I have been…
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