Makerspaces

-Over the last year I have had the pleasure of spending countless hours in two fantastic, burgeoning makerspaces.

This past spring, Tufts University opened the Nolop FAST Facility, and I instantly fell in love. It was a blank slate of possibility; a beautiful space with copious new tools, and I spent my time studying and creating in the space. Since moving to Boston for school, I had been missing my home wood shop in Maine, and Nolop’s woodshop had tools, but no organization in place. Knowing a great woodshop is organized for ease of use, I undertook the endeavor of creating a system, one tool holder at a time. I also began to build a reputation among students as a reliable adviser for design tweaks, suggestions, and general problem solving.

The following semester, I worked in Nolop as a woodshop instructor and TA. In my time there, I have seen firsthand how valuable makerspaces can be to students, creatives, and young inventors. Wanting to stay in that type of stimulating environment where I can help educate others while still creating things myself, I joined the team at the Microsft Garage in Kendall Square.

The Garage is a program intended to drive a culture of innovation within Microsoft and its surrounding business ecosystem. As the Makerspace Lead, my primary responsibilities were to maintain a safe, productive, and inspiring space. As always for me, keeping the space clean has been second nature from the get-go. I have enjoyed creating organizational systems for tools and materials, making the space easier to use. Moreover, I have built relationships through demonstrating use of digital fabrication machines, teaching design software introductory workshops, and aiding brainstorming with tips for individual projects. On numerous occasions I have also been a liaison, giving tours of the space to visitors, from students to executives. In supporting the Microsoft OneWeek Hackathon, I had the opportunity to help several different teams design and construct their projects, and I have even produced prototypes for researchers within Microsoft.

Please explore both of these wonderful spaces' on their sites with the links below!