DIY Hacklabs

Hacklabs are creative workshops in which participants are taught how to reconfigure basic electronic hardware components to create custom devices. USB microscopes are created with participants by teaching them how to disassemble old webcams, invert the lenses and reassemble the housing frameworks in unique and interesting ways. The project fosters an interest in working with used electronic components. The project can be used to further other educational goals. For example, youth in favelas can study biological organisms found in pools of standing water that they collect from their home environment. This is useful to help them visualize how Dengue Fever, the Zika Virus, and other mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, grow and spread.