Located in the heart of LA, Los Angeles City College has a diverse student population with more than 58 percent minorities. For the past few months, the California Space Grant Consortium headquarters office has been working with Physics and Engineering Department Chair Jayesh Bhakta on an exciting distance learning project to facilitate an Arduino-driven sensor vest to be used in conjunction with Amusement Park Physics activities. The sensor vest measures the amusement park rider’s heart rate, skin conductivity, and acceleration along 6 axes while on the ride. The vest is also equipped with a GPS sensor.

“This project has allowed more than ten of our students to become involved with a hands-on activity and talk in real-time with engineers in both academia and industry,” explains Dr. Bhakta. “In addition to giving us insight into implementation of Arduino projects, the Skype interactions with a UCSD aerospace engineering student and a Qualcomm engineer provided our LACC students with a glimpse of what it’s like to study at a four-year engineering school and go on to be an engineer in the telecommunications industry.”