Psyche Inspired
Learn more about the Psyche Inspired program and view other works
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Psyche Inspired: Cameryn Laborte
Institution: Seattle University
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Psyche Inspired Class: 2020-2021
Reflections on Psyche Inspired
Reflections on Project 1: Cookie Psyche Excitement
Cookie Psyche Excitement
Cameryn Laborte
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Genre/Medium: butter cookies and icing
About the work: I relate the excitement of sharing Psyche to the sharing of good food. With that, I created a set of decorated cookies to look like the mission badge and the Psyche asteroid. I designed and 3D printed custom cookie cutters, with the mission badge cutter having a stamping feature for greater accuracy of the design. After baking, I used icing of the same colors as the mission badge. I tried smearing the icing to create gradients similar to the badge. For a more detailed approach, such as the black lettering and most accurate badge cookie, I used an edible watercolor technique.
Reflections on Project 2: A Psyche Dozen
A Psyche Dozen
Cameryn Laborte
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Genre/Medium: butter cookies and icing
About the work: I relate the excitement of sharing Psyche to the sharing of good food. With that, I created a set of decorated cookies to look like the mission badge and the Psyche asteroid. I designed and 3D printed custom cookie cutters, with the mission badge cutter having a stamping feature for greater accuracy of the design. After baking, I used icing of the same colors as the mission badge. I tried smearing the icing to create gradients similar to the badge. For a more detailed approach, such as the black lettering and most accurate badge cookie, I used an edible watercolor technique.
Reflections on Project 3: Toward Collision
Toward Collision
Cameryn Laborte
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Genre/Medium: isomalt, cake
About the work: I was inspired by the hypothesis that Psyche may be the product of powerful collisions that stripped away the mantle of a protoplanet, leaving behind its inner core material. In this piece, I wanted to demonstrate a cross-section of that protoplanet headed towards a powerful collision with edible art. I textured white chocolate, broke it into shards, and colored it with different shades of grey metallic powder to represent the hypothesized iron core. I chose these metallic colorings and sharp, jagged textures to contrast the rocky mantle. I packed a chocolate hemisphere with a chocolate cake and frosting mixture to represent the mantle. Crumbled cake shows the contrast of how soft rock materials are in comparison to metal. The crumbled cake also showed the characteristics of some rocky asteroids composed of many individual stones, or in this case crumbs. To show the movement that this protoplanet would go through, I used isomalt to create a red sugar sail that surrounds the chocolate hemisphere.
Reflections on Project 4: Around Psyche
Around Psyche
Cameryn Laborte
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Genre/Medium: embroidery hoops
About the work: The organic shape of Psyche contrasting with the rigid, sharp-angled spacecraft inspired me to look for more of the beautiful, round shapes associated with the Psyche mission. The first and largest piece was inspired by the path the Psyche spacecraft will take from Earth to the asteroid with a gravity assist from Mars. The second piece was inspired by Dr. Rona Oran’s presentation on what the electromagnetic field might look like around Psyche. The last piece captures Psyche itself in vibrant colors from the mission badge.
Taste of Space (Bonus Project)
Cameryn Laborte
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Genre/Medium: meringues
About the work: As I near the end of my time in Psyche Inspired, I realized how the mission to Psyche still has further to go, yet it takes its time to celebrate its milestones. It reminded me of how one takes a coffee break to recharge before pushing onward. Thus, I was inspired to make a Psyche treat that can be enjoyed at every coffee break and milestone: meringues. I modeled the meringues after the spacecraft and asteroid, making them small enough so they could float in a latte together.
To make the meringues: mix 180 grams of sugar into 120 grams of egg whites in a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved (the texture is not gritty between your fingers). Add some vanilla extract and mix with whisk attachments on high speed for about 8-10 minutes (almost stiff peaks). Separate the mixture into bowls and mix in coloring. Transfer to piping bags and pipe designs onto parchment paper/silicon mat. Bake in an oven set to 200 F for 1.5 hours.
