User:J.M.Pearce

Hi. I am the author of Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs, Elsevier, 2014. The book is about how to use RepRaps and open source microcontrollers to make research-grade scientific equipment. The entire book will eventually be posted for free - the first two chapters are here: FREE access to select content from Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs.

I am an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Michigan Technological University. There I run the Michigan Tech Open Sustainability Technology (MOST) research group, which specializes in solar photovoltaic technology from the materials to the devices and full systems. Our open research wiki space on Appropedia is here.

Our group primarily focuses on solar photovoltaic technology but have also built and use several RepRaps of various flavors to do prototyping.

I am interested in making technologies that drive sustainable development - open source appropriate technologies. To get an idea of where I would like to go with the RepRap concept see: J. M Pearce, C. Morris Blair, K. J. Laciak, R. Andrews, A. Nosrat and I. Zelenika-Zovko, “3-D Printing of Open Source Appropriate Technologies for Self-Directed Sustainable Development”, Journal of Sustainable Development 3(4), pp. 17-29 (2010). Where we discuss solar powered self-replicating open-source 3-D printers - capable of making primary components of solar photovoltaic systems from recycled waste.

I am always looking for awesome graduate students to focus on RepReap-related work. Drop me a line if you are interested.