Over the summer, Campus Facilities converted Esbenshade 187 into the Bollman Makerspace. Designed as a complement to the existing Bollman Fabrication Lab, what was once a typical Esbenshade classroom is now a new area for engineering students to get hands-on experience with projects. Both labs are supported through an endowment from the Bollman family.
“I am really excited to see students working in the space,” Dr. Sara Atwood, Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, said. “[Students will] be able to get better because of what they’re able to do in those early-stage prototyping and trying things out that will make their ultimate projects be better for their clients and stakeholders.”
Since 2014, the Fabrication Lab has been in place for more advanced project construction.
“[The Fabrication Lab]’s mostly for high machining type stuff—anything from using wood to steel,” Dr. Shannon Clancy, Assistant Professor of Engineering, said. “We didn’t necessarily have a dedicated space for clubs or project classes to be able to do earlier project design outside of the classroom.”
Before the Makerspace, there was no area for engineering students to build smaller scale and less complex prototypes and projects.
“[The Makerspace] really fills a need that we have for lower fidelity prototyping and quicker testing and prototyping for students’ designs and projects,” Atwood said.
Five Makerspace Fellows have been selected from among the engineering students to help faculty run and operate the Makerspace.
“We are supposed to keep the space clean, keep it organized, properly facilitate the 3D printer and then also facilitate an environment where people feel safe making,” Makerspace Fellow William Medley said.
The other fellows, in addition to Medley, are Lily Aherns, Jack Frankum, Jon-Marc Marshall and Brandon Morgret. They have been trained and tasked with operating and maintaining the equipment to help alleviate the time commitment of faculty and staff.
“Being one of the Bollman Maker Fellows has been a great experience so far,” Marshall said. “As a mechanical engineering student, I really enjoy having access to equipment like the 3D printers and other tools that allow me to turn my ideas into projects.”
The Makerspace is equipped with 3D printers, Cricut machines, a sewing machine and a PVC cutter. Additionally, students will be able to work with cardboard and soldering.
“My favorite part is the Cricut and the 3D printers, but there are so many other different tools and supplies that are also available,” Aherns said.
The Makerspace has also been stocked with tools donated by Lowe’s. Dr. Judson Wagner, Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics, first proposed reaching out to the retailer because he thought the blue branding of the company’s Kobalt brand would pair well with Elizabethtown College blue.
To ensure that safety procedures and processes are established before broader student access is granted, the Makerspace is opening in phases. Since late October, it has been in phase three of four where the space is open while fellows are available to supervise.
“Students are more than welcome to come in and talk to the fellows,” Medley said.
Currently, engineering project classes are the only ones using the Makerspace, but phase four will involve expanding access once the Makerspace is running smoothly. The goal is to move to phase four in the spring semester with expanded keycard access to allow students to use the Makerspace to develop personal projects.
