[619] Innovation ‘charges’ engineering graduate’s career on ‘MTSU On the Record’

MURFREESBORO — A recent MTSU graduate whose invention won third place at this year’s Hackeroo competition in Nashville is the guest on the next edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Kyle Dobson will air from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, June 9, and from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, June 15, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org).

Dobson entered his senior electrical technology class project in Hackeroo, a May 10-11 contest aimed at creating new technology for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. This year’s concert is slated for June 12-15 near Manchester, Tennessee.

For winning third place, Dobson received 30 business augmentation days with Thinkery, a Nashville-based business created by entrepreneur Mark Montgomery. Dobson will work with a team there to develop his idea.

The Murfreesboro resident created a bicycle-powered direct current generator that will recharge a cell phone while the cyclist pedals, creating the device at a fraction of the cost of similar commercially mass-produced products.

Dobson, who graduated May 10 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology, said he tested his device successfully with a Samsung Galaxy S4 cell phone, a Garvin Nuvi GPS unit and a Parallax Basic Stamp II microprocessor.

“I’ve always been pretty technically inclined,” Dobson said. “When I was really young, I would take stuff apart and try to put it back together. In grade school, I’d sit there and take apart my mechanical pencil just to see what was in it and put it back together.”

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to www.mtsunews.com/ontherecord.

For more information, contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.