Maker’s Week Sparks Creativity and Connections
In the last four days of October, the Silicon Valley campus was buzzing with activity – and not just because of midterms. Tech leaders, climate advocates, Oakland campus students, and alumni flowed in and out of the building. At one point, a crowd gathered outside the Welcome Center, where a Tesla Cybertruck and two Model Ys were parked.
It was Maker’s Week, a multi-day event for Northeastern University (NEU) students in the Bay Area. The event featured workshops, demos, presentations, networking activities, and the Climate Resiliency Hack, a NEU network-wide initiative in collaboration with the nonprofit Earth Hacks.
Four days of learning and networking
Organized by the Silicon Valley Career Development and Experiential Learning team, Maker’s Week ran from October 28 to October 31, with daily events designed to help students make the most of their time on campus. “We wanted to give students a bang for their buck,” said Experiential Learning Specialist Hannah Kang, one of the event organizers.
From a vision board activity by the Adobe Club to an appathon hosted by the Aspiring Product Managers Club to a résumé-building workshop led by Global Learner Support, Maker’s Week provided diverse opportunities for hands-on learning and professional growth.
Highlights included a fireside chat with Puneet Kohli, CEO of CareerFlow.ai, who shared insights on career management with AI tools, and talks by Michelle McGovern, CEO of Riivos, and Sriram Kothandarman, fellow Husky and Product Manager at ServiceNow.
Trupal Chaudhari (left), MPS in Analytics ’25, interviews Puneet Kohli, CEO of CareerFlow.ai.
One highly anticipated event of the week was Future Drive: A Tesla Experience, which drew students not only from Silicon Valley but also from the Oakland campus. “This was the first time Tesla came to our campus, so it was a big deal,” said Alice (Jiaxin) Lyu, who helped organize the event.
Participants learned about the technology involved in the Cybertruck system, then explored the vehicle up close along with two other cars from the Tesla fleet.
Increasing climate resiliency
Another highlight of Maker’s Week was the Climate Resiliency Hack, which engaged over 350 participants across seven Northeastern campuses. In Silicon Valley, two teams competed with solutions for climate resiliency.
Team Touching Fish (Chunzhang Liu, Haoyang Tan, Renxiang Yin, Peixin Yuan, and Xiaoman Zou) won with Climate Shield, a platform for real-time climate alerts and resource sharing during emergencies. Team Little Pony (Mengxiong Bai, Shiran Wang, Zhenzhen Qin, Junhui Su, and Xiaofeng Zhao) came in second with their Pollution Resilience Mapping Tool for monitoring and regulating industrial pollution.
Rabib A., a Tesla product manager, wrote on LinkedIn that the projects were “a testament to how today’s students are not just future tech professionals but future problem-solvers.” Nolwenn Godard, a senior executive in climate innovation, shared that she was “heartened to see thought leadership on Climate Tech coming from universities such as Northeastern University in Silicon Valley,” and emphasized the importance of “students’ continuous ingeniosity on climate.”
For Touching Fish team member and MS in Computer Science student Xiaoman Zou, the hackathon was a new chance to collaborate with friends — it was his second time working with the same team — and enhance his technical skills by using Node.js and React for the first time.
It was also an opportunity to gain more insight into climate challenges. “In the beginning, we all wanted to develop something for our résumés. But as we got deeper into the topic, we realized this is the kind of real-world problem we should be noticing,” he said.
During the awards ceremony, Zou and his teammates discussed carbon emissions with a climate expert on the jury. “I asked her how companies figure out their carbon emission quotas,” he shared. “She explained that many don’t know their quotas, and it’s difficult to calculate emissions. That surprised me and showed me that we need more attention on climate issues.”
Hackathon participants, judges, and event staff pose together during Maker’s Week
Redefining networking and experiential learning
Zou and his teammates’ experience of building and sticking with a winning team, creating real solutions for urgent global issues, and engaging with subject matter experts encapsulates what Maker’s Week was all about: expanding students’ definitions of experiential learning and networking.
“We wanted to encourage a mindset shift,” Kang said. “Experiential learning is often associated with internships and co-ops. Yes, those are a big part, but by definition, experiential learning is learning by doing — whether formally in the workplace or informally through side projects.”
The same, Kang explained, applies to networking. “Networking often happens organically and doesn’t have to be limited to industry professionals or outside stakeholders. With a campus of over 900 students, we have a huge network in itself.”
Collaborating on projects, connecting with like-minded peers through clubs and organizations, and simply engaging in shared spaces can help students build the foundation for their future professional networks.
The makers of Maker’s Week
For Angel (Anqi) Lin, Trupal Chaudhari, and Alice (Jiaxin) Lyu, the student ambassadors who were part of the organizing team, Maker’s Week was also a chance to learn and network.
With guidance from the Career Development and Experiential Learning team and support from the Operations and IT teams, the three ambassadors tackled logistical challenges and took on roles that pushed them out of their comfort zones. Lin, MS in Information Systems ‘25, worked directly with Tesla to manage event logistics; Lyu, MS in Information Systems ‘26, helped ensure a smooth check-in process on “Tesla Day”; and Chaudhari, MPS in Analytics ‘25, stepped up as moderator for the fireside chat.
“From marketing to outreach to adapting to last-minute changes, our student ambassadors rocked,” said Manny Cifuentes-Machado, Career Development and Experiential Learning advisor.
“I’m really proud of our process of sharing, listening, and refining,” shared Lin.
Chaudhari agreed, “Without teamwork, we wouldn’t have been successful.”
Embracing the Silicon Valley spirit of iteration, the team gained insights to refine future events. “It’s all about how we adjust to deliver more value to our students,” Kang said.
With over a quarter of enrolled students participating, Maker’s Week sparked a-ha moments and meaningful connections.
And there’s still more to come. “We still have some fun things in store,” said Machado. To learn about upcoming events organized by the Silicon Valley Career Development and Experiential Learning team, check out this page.