At Harvey Mudd College’s Makerspace, a place where students can learn everything from how to sew a tote bag to how to use a printing press, students aren’t just provided with technology. They have access to a space that fosters innovation, learning and a sense of community.
The Makerspace, which is located in the Scott A. McGregor Computer Science Center, provides students at all of the Claremont Colleges with tools to create, workshops to learn new skills and stewards who help out around the center.
Some of the tools include laser cutters, 3D printers, reverse air systems that allow students to create without inhaling fumes and audio and visual equipment.
Makerspace manager Kim Neal wants people to feel comfortable making and innovating in the space.
“The Makerspace is a student-run, welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff from the 7Cs, where you can make things,” Neal said. “Goals of the Makerspace include fostering a creative and welcoming community and making sure everyone who visits feels welcome to learn how to use the equipment, tools and materials we offer in a safe manner.”
“The Makerspace is a student-run, welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff from the 7Cs, where you can make things. oals of the Makerspace include fostering a creative and welcoming community and making sure everyone who visits feels welcome to learn how to use the equipment, tools and materials we offer in a safe manner.”
As manager of the Makerspace, Neal’s role is to support Makerspace stewards who will assist users with Makerspace equipment. However, because the space is student-run, the stewards are typically in charge of day-to-day operations at the Makerspace.
As a head steward, Emma Sar SC ’23 is one of the managers of the Makerspace. Her job specifically entails managing the coordination, advertisement and planning workshops, which are designed to teach students various skills using Makerspace machinery.
“We have lots of different materials and machinery to help you in the process of making and one of our big goals is really learning,” Sar said. “We want people to feel safe, to try new things and to make mistakes, but in a safe environment.”
Sar’s objective isn’t simply to help foster learning among 7C students, though. They also want the space to serve as a place of community for students with a desire to create and innovate.
“We want it to be a place where people can come and feel comfortable learning something new, meeting people, going up to someone who looks like they’re doing something interesting and asking what they’re doing,” Sar said. “I think that it’s a great place for meeting other students with like-minded interests, learning new things and widening your comfort zone.”
“We want it to be a place where people can come and feel comfortable learning something new, meeting people, going up to someone who looks like they’re doing something interesting and asking what they’re doing. I think that it’s a great place for meeting other students with like-minded interests, learning new things and widening your comfort zone.”
As an employee at the Makerspace, Sar has found her own Makerspace community, bonding with employees and users of the space.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a shy person, but I definitely am not very good about going out and meeting lots of new people, but this past year that I’ve been working on Makerspace, I really feel like I’ve met a lot more people and created much more of a community,” Sar said. “I’ve made a lot more friends than I ever had in college before, and so it’s definitely nice being able to walk around campus and being like, ‘Hey, I know you from the Makerspace.’”
While the space is mostly used by Mudd and Scripps College students, Sar hopes that eventually, the space will serve as a way to connect people from across the Claremont Colleges despite its distance from the other schools.
“It’s kind of out of the way, but it’s worth it once you get inside,” Sar said. “A lot of my friends go to Mudd, and I do think that there’s a pretty distinct line between the other 4Cs and Mudd, and having the Makerspace on Mudd’s campus is definitely a way of bridging that divide and integrating Mudd into the rest of the 5Cs.”
Ultimately, Neal believes that all different types of students can enjoy the space.
“Students should use the Makerspace to figure out how to put something together that they’re learning about in class,” Neal said. “Students should use the Makerspace to relax after a hard day studying or to make a gift for a family member. Most importantly, students should use the Makerspace to meet other people who are also making things, learn from one another and make some friends.”