While in college, Lang noticed the name and address of the Origami Center of America, and he soon became friends with other experienced paperfolders, including Michael LaFosse, John Montroll, Joseph Wu, and Paul Jackson. They inspired Lang with their pretty and complex models, and he soon created new models; he designed a hermit crab, an ant, a skunk, and many other others. Soon afterwards, he took a trip to Germany, where he was fascinated by their beautiful cuckoo clocks. They inspired him to make origami clocks, which impressed many paperfolders. Soon after completing his first origami clock, Lang began a job at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.