Share your Learning

Congratulations, you've completed your project! Now it's time to reflect on what you've learned. What went according to plan? What adjustments did you need to make in the moment? It's OK if the project didn't turn out how you originally expected, or if you didn't accomplish all of your original goals.

Complete the Mini-grant Final Report and associated nutshell video requirements. Others will be interested in hearing about your project, so it's important to share your story.

Reach out to Makerspace staff for ideas and support!

Mini-Grant Research in a Nutshell Video

Each of these videos will highlight what your mini-grant funded, an answer that was reached through your research, and "in a nutshell," how you did it. We hope that these videos can make the work you and your team do accessible and relevant to non-technical people.

Here are a few steps:

Write a script or guideline with no more than 140 - 160 words
1. Introduce yourself.
2. Introduce your project or research area.
3. Give a very short description of your mini-grant project.
4. Give a broader impact statement - why should we care about what you did and how could the results of your project be used for the greater good?
5. Thank your sponsor for the mini-grant!
6. Here is an example of a script
Find someone to film you in a place with a quiet, neutral background.
1. 1. 1. 1. The ideal location is in a well-lit, relatively quiet room, or an outside location where there are no traffic or construction sounds. Some examples: a room, a quiet park, in front of your research topic (if applicable), etc.
      2. Make sure to wear bright colors to stand out in your video.
Use a camera capable of high-resolution video (at least 1080p). Your smartphone should be just fine for this.
1. 1. 1. 1. Shoot horizontally.
      2. Use a tripod if possible.
      3. Don't block the microphone.
      4. Try recording at eye level, and keep your camera steady.
      5. Your light should come from in front of you (not behind).
      6. Start speaking 3 seconds after the filming starts and end recording 5 seconds after you are finished.
      7. Speak loudly and clearly, but as naturally as possible.
      8. Have the person filming you stand a hair to one side of the camera and have them hold your script at the same level as the camera. Look at that person/script.
      9. Take a short break between each sentence to make editing easier.
Make at least two recordings.
1. 1. 1. 1. Do a practice run with the camera recording. Do a second, more relaxed recording and if possible, record more and pick the best one.