For my capstone, I aimed to create a device that automatically adjusted the volume of a speaker or headphones based on sounds detected by the device. I did this using an Arduino, a digital potentiometer, and, of course, code. My guiding question going into this project was “How can I use technology to simplify classroom management or increase classroom safety?” So through some surveying, I found that automation was most wanted for simplicity and for safety hearing announcements, and with that, I came up with my project, AutoEQ.

Through this project, I ran into a lot of obstacles, such as scheduling and time constraints due to order or funding times, hardware issues, and, worst of all, problems in the code. The process was not the most fun, and obstacles always hurt, but I am happy I faced them. Although the outcome is not what I was hoping for the overall experience of the project and what was gained from it was worth it, learning about myself and how I best work as well as getting some project experience having obstacles that occur so much more in the real world I am leaving this capstone feeling more prepared for the things I may have to take on in the future. Here is a website with the products of my capstone —> https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/gabecapstone2025?usp=sharing