Evan Chen, Founder of Engineering Workshop
August 29, 2026 | Washington, D.C.
Our Engineering workshop team and volunteers were excited to participate in the 24th Washington Chinese Culture Festival, where we brought together engineering, creativity, Chinese culture, and community service. At our 3D-design booth, we sold products I designed to raise funds for the Capital Youth Outreach Club and the Science Bowl Club.
A Special Visit to Our Booth
A particularly exciting moment was when Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng visited our booth. He looked at our collection of 12 zodiac animal keychains and praised the uniqueness of the designs. It was a memorable moment!
Turning Ideas into 3D-Printed Products
For the festival, I designed a variety of unique 3D-designed products, including keychains featuring all 12 Chinese zodiac animals, lotus-shaped fidget spinners, and magnetic spinners. My friend George Wang also printed a dragon, a panda and traditional Chinese characters. Each product gave us an opportunity to turn an idea into a physical object while learning about 3D design, prototyping, production, and presentation.
From Design to Display
Preparing for the festival involved much more than designing and 3D-printing our products. After design the products and printed day and night to have enough amount for sale, I also had to think about how to present them effectively to customers.
I decided to build the display rack myself. Using simple materials, I measured, assembled, and nailed together a rack that allowed us to organize and showcase the different keychain designs at our booth. It was a small project, but it reminded me that engineering is often about recognizing a practical need and creating a solution with the resources available.
Learning Through Teamwork
Preparing for the festival taught me that creating a product is only part of the process. I also learned how to plan production, prepare products for sale, organize a booth, communicate with visitors, and collaborate more effectively with team members.
This event was truly a team effort. I am grateful to our Engineering Workshop team and our volunteers, Ruichen Feng, George Wang, Arius Liang and Calin Luo, who helped with preparing products, setting up the booth, welcoming visitors, and managing sales throughout the festival. My two club members from science bowel from high school also helped with the sale. Working together taught me how important communication, organization, and collaboration are when turning an engineering project into a successful community event.
We also appreciated Mr. Yizhen Chen, whose stand was next to ours, for sharing helpful advice on product design, booth presentation, and sales. His suggestions gave us new ideas about how to present our creations more effectively and connect with visitors.
I was especially happy to see several students from our previous Engineering Workshop, including Steven, Daniel, Allen, Brian and Ian visited the booth. Some even wanted to stay and help us. Seeing their enthusiasm was rewarding because it showed that an engineering workshop can inspire students to remain involved and become part of future activities.
Designing With a Purpose
The festival showed us how engineering can connect with culture and community service. Our zodiac keychains celebrated Chinese traditions, while the lotus fidget spinners and magnetic spinners demonstrated how creativity and engineering can turn simple concepts into interactive designs.
Most importantly, our sales helped raise funds for youth outreach and Science Bowl activities, allowing our engineering work to support more educational opportunities for students.
We are grateful to everyone who visited our booth, purchased our designs, volunteered, or simply stopped by to learn more. The experience encouraged us to continue designing, building, sharing, and using engineering to give back to our community.
Special thanks to the Zhejiang University Alumni
Association of Greater Washington for their generous support.
Website Editor: Grace Yan
华府青年 CYOC 
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