Four UWM students teamed up to put their ideas to the test for “Make48,” a PBS documentary series that tests inventors against the clock.
For its third season, “Make48” brought in teams from 12 colleges across the United States to come up with a new product idea, build a prototype, create a presentation with a video and pitch their idea to a panel of judges – all in just 48 hours. The three winning teams could have their product sold in stores.
UWM students Madeline Horinek, a mechanical engineering major, and Grace Kilburn, an industrial engineering major, joined Michael Gilligan and Peter Whelpley, who graduated with art degrees last year, to form “Team Moonshoot.” Dressed in yellow shirts to sport Panther colors, the team competed against other colleges such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Michigan Technological University.
The team was brought together by Peck School of the Arts Associate Professor Adream Blair, who recently passed away.
“Adream, in her brilliance, knew how valuable having a diverse team would be (for the competition),” Whelpley said.
Along with diverse backgrounds in art and engineering, team members had minors in computer science, economics and digital fabrication and design.
The show will air on PBS stations nationwide. Locally, it will debut on WMVS on Oct. 3 at 9:30 p.m. It is also available online at pbs.org.
