STUDENT: JAKE HOUTMAN
School: Inspire School of Arts and Sciences | County: Butte | City: Chico
Grade: 11 | Age: 16
Supervised by: Ron Pope

About Jake
Jake Houtman was born in Chico, CA in June 1995. He is currently a junior at Inspire School of the Arts and Sciences. He plays bass guitar in school and his favorite subjects are engineering and math. On his free time he likes to hang out with friends and family. He enjoys walking his dog in both upper and lower Bidwell park. His plan after high school graduation is to pursue a career in engineering.

My idea is to have a retractable bike lock, inside your bike. I would put the bike lock inside the bike frame, and then have the lock locked onto the other side of your bike. This concept eliminates a multiple of things. You don't have to buy a lock, you'll never lose your lock, you don't have to carry the whole lock around when you are riding, and it cuts the time spent getting your lock out and putting it back from where you were carrying it.

ALAN NGUYEN (USA)

DESIGNER COMMENT TO STUDENT'S PROJECT
"When I saw Jake's entry, I immediately got excited. The idea of integrating the bike lock with the bike was brilliant!"
What I liked most about Jake's design problem was the attention to accessibility, ease of use and of course security. Jake's original concept, introducing the chain internally in the bike frame is a great idea, however, there are a few issues that compromises the frame's strength along with a myriad of other issues including complex internal mechanics and corrosion. That being said, it isn't impossible to produce such a bike that Jake dreamed of, however the entire bike would have to be custom. Custom designs are something that I personally enjoy, however, this design is aimed to help people, and a design that can easily be adapted to any bicycle can help much more people. So I approached Jake's original idea a bit differently but still keeping the original design intent.

The first problem to solve was integrating the bike lock. Where else could you integrate a bike lock without damaging the bike frame? Why not the handlebar? By integrating the bike lock into the handlebar you solve a number of things. First, accessibility. You can no longer forget your bike lock. It is essential in order to use your bike. Second, ease of use. You simply unlock the handle, swing it around and lock your bike. Finally, security. Of course all locks are never 100% secure. They serve more as a means to slow down a thief than to prevent them.
So in reality as long as your bike seems more secure than the bike next to it the other bike is more desirable. Now back to the lock design, when the bike lock is in use, the handlebar is no longer part of the bike, so even if the thief breaks the lock, not only can they no longer ride away, they also cannot reattach the handlebar. Good Luck Bike Thief!

DESIGNER COMMENT ON CADW
California Dream Week is by far one of the greatest programs I have had the opportunity to work with. The ability to collaborate with young passionate ambitious students was a no brainer. I have been fortunate to receive many scholarships throughout my education and I truly believe in paying it forward and returning the favor. Let's keep helping the brilliant young minds of today to ensure a better future tomorrow. Thank you California Dream Week for having me.

ABOUT ALAN NGUYEN
Alan Nguyen studied Design at the University of Houston's Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture where he has graduated with a Magna Cum Laude distinction specializing in parametric design. Simultaneously at the University of Houston he was pursuing a second degree in Product Design focused on emerging technologies. While nearing graduation Alan had the opportunity to work in Amsterdam with pioneering design firm Freedom Of Creation where he currently lives. After joining Freedom Of Creation as a product designer in late 2011 he is currently working with 3D Systems on developing an entirely new industry of digitized products as well as the first consumer 3D Printer for the home and an exciting new platform that will revolutionize the way people create and purchase products using 3D Printing technologies.