Build With the Best

In the CSI MakerSpace, engineering science majors weld functional racecars while theatre students create a life-size replica of a Waffle House sign for a backdrop. Sorority and fraternity members 3D-print recruiting signage, while archaeology classes 3D-scan and duplicate fragile artifacts.

Shop Technician Ryan Hodge says the draw of the space is the combination of the cutting-edge (laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC routers, and welding equipment, all supported by advanced design software) with the collaboration of multiple interests and disciplines. “Anyone can make anything here,” Hodge says. “You never know what you expect to see.”

The one constant, Hodge says, is that the shop operates safely and productively thanks to Trinity’s caliber of students. “This shop is becoming almost self-sufficient,” he says. “The students are creating this culture where everyone helps out, and everyone does their research on the equipment before starting a project.”

Hodge says students in the shop regularly go on to top engineering Ph.D. programs, where their MakerSpace design and shop experience gives them an edge over fellow applicants. The space also supports research labs in the Geosciences, Neuroscience, Biology and Neuroscience, as well as Engineering Science.

Some students just love coming in to work with a popular, recent addition to the shop: some simple sewing machines. “We’ve had students make wine bottle jackets,” Hodge says.

D. R. Semmes School of Science Director of Operations Leslie Bleamaster III ’98, Ph.D., says the balance between serving both high-level science department needs and minds from every major is a unique opportunity for Trinity students. “The MakerSpace is available for whoever wants to come in and create,” he explains. “That’s the way Ryan runs it, and that’s what makes it special.”

BY THE NUMBERS:

30 production-quality machines
$500,000 invested in machinery over past seven years
200 users per year
10 classes with dedicated MakerSpace components
8 Research labs supported, across five departments
8 student workers help manage the space
3 dedicated “maker” classes, from intro to advanced