Sara V. Fernandez's HTMAA Site 2025

About Me

I’m a second-year master’s student at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, where my work centers on open metrology—making precise measurement tools more accessible to everyone.

I began at MIT as an undergraduate in Materials Science and Engineering, minoring in Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Chinese because I wanted to learn how to translate laboratory-developed technologies into applications with tangible global impact. During those years, I researched flexible on-body piezoelectrics for ultrasound sensing, fabricated tissue phantoms, competed on the Varsity Tennis Team, and supported community initiatives that shaped how I think about creating meaningful impact.

After graduation, I crossed the world to Beijing to be a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, earning a master’s in Global Affairs with research spanning technology policy, AI adoption in healthcare, and sustainable international development. Outside the classroom, I visited various cities, tasted new cuisines, explored innovation hubs, and learned firsthand how different stakeholders approach decision making around adopting new technologies. Now back at MIT, I’m excited to bring these experiences together in How to Make (Almost) Anything 2025 and learn from everyone involved. Reach out if you’d like to chat!

Final Project Description

For my final project, I would like to make a ruling engine. This is a precision machine that rules (or engraves) fine lines into a surface and is often used to create diffraction gratings. I am starting by reading through some papers and looking at similar projects others have worked on. Check out my Final Project page for more!

Final Project

Week 1: Introduction and CAD

Week 2: Project Management and Computer-Controlled Cutting

Week 3: Embedded Programming

Week 4: 3D Scanning and Printing

Week 5: Electronics Design

Week 6: Electronics Production

Week 7: Computer-Controlled Machining

Week 8: Input Devices

Week 9: Output Devices

Week 10: Molding and Casting

Week 11: Machine Design

Week 12: Networking and Communications

Week 13: Interface and Application Programming

Week 14: Wildcard Week