Wesleyan University
IDEAS Lab
In April of 2019, I was hired by Wesleyan University to start up their fledgling makerspace, moving operations from a regular classroom with a single laser cutter to a fully outfitted multi-room facility. The lab was being converted from a dingy, little-used overflow room to a brightly lit workspace when I arrived. It was up to me to fill it with everything a student maker could conceivably need, from hand tools to CNC machines. as well as developing a set of policies, procedures and training guides to match the scope of an expanded user base.
Sadly, no one could predict the global pandemic that hit literally the week before we were due to open our doors to the wider community. Since lockdown, the focus has been on holding safe and rewarding in-person classes for students registered in IDEAS courses. Thanks to the efforts of all involved at the university as well as in the program, we have remained infection free, and we’re looking forward to the day we can welcome the rest of campus back on site.
Classroom space, day 0
Workspace, day 0
class activity
class activity
lab space, pre-construction
lab space pre-construction
Waterjet cutter
I had to install the Tormach in an annex space next door. It's tight, but it works.
Filmed and edited by the Office of University Communications at Wesleyan.
Video tutorial published in February of 2021. Entirely self-produced for Wesleyan univerity