USC is home to more than 1000 student organizations, with more than 50 catering to engineering students. These include design teams, honor societies, special interest groups, and more. USC Makers is one of my favorite organizations on campus (I’m a little biased) because it brings together the community aspects of some clubs and the hands-on experience of design teams. In this blog, I sit down with Vivien Chen, my current project manager, to hear about her experiences in the club.
What is Makers, and what makes it unique compared to other engineering organizations at USC?
“Makers is a community of engineering students passionate about creating exciting projects with technology. What sets Makers apart from other engineering organizations at USC is its welcoming and collaborative environment. The club brings together students from a wide range of engineering disciplines, fostering creativity and encouraging everyone to share their ideas. I also love that every project requires a hardware component- it challenges teams to think beyond software and integrate physical elements into their designs. What initially drew me to Makers was the showcase of past projects, which I found both technically impressive and conceptually unique. You can find a list of the past projects students have created in Makers on the website, but some that stood out to me were Waterbender, an interactive art installation, Le Chord, and Portal Gun Portal Fun, a Rick and Morty inspired portal gun (any many many more amazing projects).”
What has your journey with Makers looked like? What was your first project and what are you working on now?
“Last year at Makers, I had the opportunity to contribute to an extended reality video game project! We called it Tony Stark’s Big Blasting Bonanza: a game that lets players fly through the streets of New York City as Ironman and blast enemies away. It combined physical hardware with a traditional screen-displayed video game, creating a fun immersive experience. The team’s talented electrical and mechanical engineering students worked on recreating a wearable version of Ironman’s gauntlet. Meanwhile, I worked with my project manager on the software side, using Unreal Engine to implement the game’s core features. My responsibility was to integrate real-time hand tracking and gesture recognition into the game, allowing players to aim at the enemies and blast them away! Another responsibility I had was to simulate New York City’s environment using Unreal Engine’s assets and animations. Working alongside passionate and talented students on this project was such a rewarding experience that it inspired me to step into a project management role with Makers club this year, leading my own team and developing my own project.
This semester, I’m expanding my exploration of simulations by focusing on the intersection of fashion and technology. Noticing a gap in how people visualize outfits without physically trying them on, I conceptualized “Magic Mirror,” a smart mirror that enhances the user experience by combining augmented reality with a traditional mirror. This interactive device overlays digital garments onto the user’s reflection, allowing them to “try on” outfits virtually using gesture recognition. As project manager for a team of five engineering students in USC Makers, I lead efforts to integrate hardware and software, leveraging computer vision with OpenCV for real-time movement tracking and using an Arduino to interface with a camera and display.”
What’s the best part about being the project manager for Makers? What challenges come with the role?
“The best part about being a project manager in Makers is getting to see my vision come to life. I also absolutely love my team, and I can’t imagine working with anyone else on Magic Mirror. This experience has also been a huge opportunity for growth. As someone who’s never been a project manager before, it’s pushed me out of my comfort zone and honed my leadership and communication skills. So far, it’s been an incredibly fulfilling experience, and I’m proud of how much I’ve learned and how far we’ve come as a team.”
What’s the process like for joining Makers? Do you have to be an electrical engineering major? What do they look for in applicants during the selection process?
“To apply for Makers, you’ll first submit a written application with a series of fun, get-to-know-you questions. The application is designed to showcase your personality, creativity, and enthusiasm for making things. After that, there’s an in-person interview with members of the Makers Eboard. I remember my interview being super chill; the questions focused on how you work in a team and how passionate you are about creating. The goal is really just to see how you’d contribute to and fit within the club’s collaborative and welcoming environment. One of the things I love about Makers is that it’s open to engineering students from all kinds of disciplines. You definitely don’t have to be an electrical engineering major to join! For example, I’m a computer science major, and I’ve found a place here to share my skills and learn from others. I’ve found myself learning things that I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced through just my degree. Being part of Makers has pushed me to explore areas outside my usual coursework, from hardware integration to creative problem-solving in interdisciplinary teams.”
Beyond the technical projects, what initially drew you to Makers, and what has kept you involved?
“During my freshman year at USC, I joined so many clubs. At one point, I think I was part of like five clubs that all met at different times throughout the week! It was definitely overkill, but it helped me figure out which clubs truly sparked my interest and which ones I wanted to stay in for the long haul. What I realized was that the environment, and especially the people, made all the difference. What initially drew me to Makers was the creativity behind the projects and the freedom to build literally anything with a team. But what has kept me involved is the incredible community. The people in Makers are not only talented and passionate but also so welcoming and open. It’s the kind of environment where everyone supports and learns from each other, and I’ve grown so much because of that. The connections and friendships I’ve built in Makers have made it a special part of my college experience.”
Have any of your Makers projects helped you in job interviews or internships?
“I definitely talk about Makers too much during interviews! I think it’s just because I find it really easy to talk about something I’m genuinely passionate about. When it comes to my project, Magic Mirror, I never feel the need to rehearse because I could talk about it endlessly. It’s something I created from scratch with my team, and that makes it very meaningful to me. The club also offers so many great examples of teamwork and communication in action, which is super relevant for real-world jobs in any industry.”
Do you have time for activities outside of Makers and coursework? What else are you part of and interested in?
“Yes, I definitely find time for activities outside of Makers and coursework. While I’m passionate about the work I do with Makers and my academics, I also enjoy exploring other interests that keep me balanced and inspired. I’m currently the VP of Tech for Open Alpha, where I lead a team of programming students to create a game by the end of the semester. We work in Unity and C#. Last semester we created “Smooth Talking Pickpocket”, a narrative driven pickpocketing adventure game that’s currently on Itch and will soon be on Steam! I’m also part of the Haptics Robotics and Virtual Interaction (HaRVI) research lab, where I’m exploring the intersection of the digital and physical world through VR/XR technologies. My current focus is on creating an application that uses haptic feedback to enhance virtual video calls, helping bridge the gap in human connection across distances. I’m excited to continue learning about VR development, which I see as transformative in creating more immersive experiences in the future. Beyond tech, I love fashion as a creative outlet and enjoy thrifting in LA to find unique, second-hand clothing. I also love discovering new cafes in Koreatown! Recently, I’ve been trying to read more books again. Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite authors. Tennis is another passion of mine, although I’m a bit disappointed that USC tennis courts are now unavailable to general students so I have to go to nearby parks.”
If you could give your freshman-year self one piece of advice, what would it be?
“If I could give my freshman-year self one piece of advice, it would be to worry less about what others are doing and focus more on myself and my academics.”
Describe Makers in three words.
“Creative, collaborative, fun”
Who’s your favorite team member?
“Hannah Fonseca duhhh”
Thank you to Vivien Chen for taking the time to interview with me! You can find her @_vivienc_ on Instagram or on LinkedIn.
