For students, Launchpad is both a celebration and a professional milestone.

“They get to show their work to families, friends, alumni, and professionals from the design industry,” Shankwiler said. “A lot of connections are made.”

One highlight this semester included student-designed car prototypes created in Advanced Surface Modeling, taught by Tim Purdy, Senior Lecturer and Graduate Program Coordinator.

“Students use Alias Studio—the same software used across the automotive industry—to model cars,” Purdy explained. “They design them digitally, then we 3D print them so they can race them on RC car frames.”

The course emphasizes skill-building through industry-standard tools.

“It’s about teaching students the tools they’ll use in studio courses and in the real world,” Purdy said. “Automotive companies use Alias, but so do companies like Apple for surface modeling.”

Seeing digital work come to life energizes both students and faculty.

“They don’t just see renderings,” Purdy said. “They can print it, visualize it, and then race it. You can really see how excited they are.”

That excitement carried throughout the building.

This year’s Make 10 customers included industry partners, students, family members, and campus leadership. College of Design Dean Ellen Bassett purchased a student-designed lamp, while School of Industrial Design Chair Eunsook finished her holiday shopping at the event. 

Together, Launchpad and Make 10 showcase the full spectrum of industrial design at Georgia Tech—from experimentation and prototyping to entrepreneurship and real-world exchange. 

“It’s an amazing thing to see,” Shankwiler said. “You’re going to be blown away by the work here tonight.”