About Tesla Works
Tesla Works is a student group at the University of Minnesota whose mission is to facilitate and encourage students to create innovative, hands-on projects. Access to our resources and programs empowers students to form interdisciplinary teams and develop hands-on skills outside the classroom environment.
History
Founded on the idea of giving students the opportunity to turn classroom knowledge into real-world experiences, Tesla Works is proud to offer University of Minnesota students from any discipline the resources to bring project ideas to reality.
The first members set out to understand and produce the unfinished patents of famous inventor Nikola Tesla, dubbing the student group “Nikola Tesla Patent Producers,” or NTP2.
Since its creation in the fall of 2010 and subsequent rebranding in the spring of 2012, Tesla Works has quickly grown to be one of the most dynamic student groups in the College of Science and Engineering, hosting students from nearly every college on the Twin Cities campus.
The collaborative efforts of these students have produced over 50 projects in the last five years, some of which involve the larger University community and beyond.
Our Mission
As part of our mission to provide students with the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to hands-on projects, Tesla Works offers any University of Minnesota student the chance to design and execute their own project by providing funding, technical training, and connections to other interested students.
Additionally, in partnership with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, we are proud to give our members access to the Exceed Lab, two 500-square-foot student workspaces that function as a machine shop and an electronics lab.
General Meetings and Friday Night Projects
For members who are not looking to start a project, there are still many ways students can get involved with Tesla Works. Weekly Friday night General Meetings is the first stop for new members. They provide an opportunity for Projects to recruit, to recap key events of the last week and announce upcoming events.
Following Friday General Meetings, STEM-focused Friday Night Projects (FNPs) are prepared in which all members are welcome to participate. Through their unique casual atmosphere and scaled time frame, these projects allow members to enhance their technical capacity, and meet with other maker students in the University.
Past projects include hovercrafts, battery-powered styrofoam boats, and an air hockey table.