Page 64 - IFIA_Magazine_No11

| IFIA Magazine - Mar ch 2021

kat the buIlder:

can she do It?

yes, she can!

Standing in the middle of her garage- However, it is the most intriguing piece
turned-workspace overflowing with boxes, of furniture in her room that holds all
artwork and recent inventions, Palo Alto of Thomsen’s past and current hobbies,
Senior High School freshman Katherine inner thoughts, experiences and creations:
Thomsen balances her handmade electric handmade shelves, which were once an old
skateboard against her knee as she points dresser. Among the books, jars of Snapple
out the metal box containing the complex bottle caps, lock-picking materials, mini
engine, she built herself. Her helmet, its condiment packages and spray paint art
color barely discernible under a mountain filling her shelves, the most important aspect
of stickers, lies nearby, always within arm’s of Thomsen’s life lies in a simple green folder
reach. overflowing with sketches and detailed
Although many teenagers would love the diagrams of mechanical inventions she came
idea of having their own electric skateboard up with over the years, such as her electric
to ride to school, not many would be up skateboard.
for the enormous task of assembling one
from scratch. That is, except for teens like An inventor on wheels
Thomsen. Ever since she was little, Thomsen says she
One of a kind has been fascinated by the way things work
Thomsen is not your typical teen. She is and the intricacies of machines, which fueled
an inventor, artist, surfer, traveler, soccer the desire to invent things of her own.
player, unicycle, skateboarder, Snapple “My parents didn’t let me, [but] I wanted to
bottle cap collector, lock-picker and take our microwave apart,” she says.
more. Her interests constantly changing, A couple of designs that have come to life
Thomsen cannot be constrained to a single are her syringe mechanism operating her
hobby and is always curious to explore and closet lights and her electric longboard that
try more. she built last summer, one of her more time-
The remains of her past experiences can consuming inventions.
be seen scattered across her room. A Thomsen has always been most attracted to
syringe mechanism hangs by her closet all things wheeled, her electric longboard an
door, which turns the light on whenever addition to her fixie bicycle, unicycle, worn
the door opens, and posters from Spain out from years of riding it to school and
are tacked over her bed. across the Golden Gate Bridge and a variety

64