Students from the Fall 2023 Intro to Design course worked with the new Humboldt Makerspaces to develop innovative, opensource, and needed makerspace infrastructure and demonstrations that can be recreated by other makerspaces.
The teams designed, constructed, and tested projects including 3D printed signs and products, a giant clock, innovative battery management, a makerspace apron, professional personal protective equipment management, thermoformed tool management, an exemplary demonstration axe, and a magnetic tug-of-war prototype game. Each of these products is replete with creativity, surprises, and usefulness.
The student teams have worked together over the course of the semester to research, draft, and create functional products to support the new makerspace physical locations in the Forestry and Natural Resources buildings.
“These makerspaces just opened so they still need a lot of infrastructure, personality, and examples. This reciprocal engagement allows students to learn in the makerspace while contributing to making it better,” said Lonny Grafman, an Engineering instructor who also led the creation of the Makerspaces.
The projects can be viewed and replicated at Appropedia.
These two new makerspaces add to the work of the Library Makerspace. The Natural Resources Makerspace includes both hobbyist and engineering grade 3D printers, soldering stations, textiles stations, vacuum formers, a button maker, and more tools and equipment that need a clean environment. The Forestry Makerspace includes a table saw, routers, CNC mills, a lathe, drill presses, and other equipment that produces dust. These two Makerspaces are currently mostly reserved for use by the Cal Poly School of Engineering, and give Engineering students a creative space to explore their passions.
As part of the transition to a polytechnic university, the Makerspaces will continue to become more open and move into larger spaces. In Fall 2024, the Makerspaces will move into the Swetman building and eventually into the new Engineering and Technology building when it is built.