In this section, you will find news from makerspaces all over—from new programs, facility updates, success stories of entrepreneurs who started at a shared space—as well as trends and principles that help makers succeed. Whether you are looking for inspiration or perhaps some strategies to apply in your own makerspace project; follow along for an enlightening glimpse into what’s happening with other members of the maker community!
Makerspaces are becoming a valuable feature of university and college campuses, providing students access to tools, expertise, and space for projects. Join us on Wednesday, September 22nd @ 4pm PDT / 7pm EDT as we talk to people who are working in these campus makerspaces and learn about how they are used and viewed by students, faculty, administration, and alumni.
Part 1 of a series on growing and running university based makerspaces
Debra Daun’s superpower is fixing broken machines, such as 3D printers. She runs the MakerLab at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois. She has figured out that she can get used and abused machines that have been returned to Amazon. She bids for them at auction and then repairs them or adds the odd parts to her boneyard. She’s been able to add more machines that she uses to teach students 3D printing in the makerspace. The more broken the machine, she says, the happier she is.
In 2020, Dr. Andreea Gorbatai and two co-authors published a research paper in the journal Organization Science titled: “Making Space for Emotions: Empathy, Contagion, and Legitmacy’s Double-Edged Sword.” It’s about the maker movement and what holds it together. It turns out, it’s not skills and tools as much as it is emotions and empathy — […]
Narwhal Labs was about to open its doors. Then the Covid shutdown hit and the makerspace needed to navigate a new course.
With Nathan Pritchett of Fab Lab Tulsa In episode #22 of Make:cast, I learn about the new building for Fab Lab Tulsa from its Executive Director, Nathan Pritchett. The new building is under development and scheduled to open in 2022. The project had started well before COVID-19 but has stayed on track even during the […]
As part of a $50 million grant to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 2017, the Maker Library & Innovative Learning Complex of the Future is under construction on campus. The new $17.5 million building will house a makerspace open to all students. Austin McChord is the RIT donor and I talk to him in this episode of Make:cast.
