易胜博官网

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Looking back, Matt Griswold '18 admits to knowing that his desire to bring a student makerspace to the University of 易胜博官网 would be a tall task 鈥� perhaps one that would never come to fruition. Less than a year later, however, he has accomplished his mission; the 易胜博官网 Makerspace within the (ECenter) in Madbury Commons opened this summer, giving 易胜博官网 students and recent alumni a place to collaborate and create.

鈥淭here was no physical space readily available for students to make prototypes of the ideas and things they were designing,鈥� says Griswold, an engineering physics major in the . 鈥淚 wanted to change that.鈥�

With help from 易胜博官网Innovation, Griswold brought the concept to life. The makerspace features 3-D printers, a laser cutter/engraver, a vinyl cutter, an electronics station, an industrial sewing machine, various hand tools and multiple software programs, including Solidworks, Autodesk Fusion 360, CorelDRAW and Repetier听 鈥� all available for students to use.

鈥淭his space is independent of any college within 易胜博官网,鈥� says Griswold, who works as a licensing associate at 易胜博官网Innovation and serves as chairperson of the makerspace. 鈥淲e wanted a place where all students could come together and collaborate, to have that true interdisciplinary interaction.鈥�

Student volunteers run the makerspace. Users must sign an agreement and acquire training on equipment. Students who become makerspace volunteers get advanced training and can gain access to the equipment outside of regular hours.

Griswold says now that the space is open, its board is focused on expanding its student volunteer network, increasing its hours and adding more advanced machinery. They鈥檝e applied for $300,000 in grants/tax credits and hope to implement a brand ambassadors program as a way of obtaining more equipment.

鈥淲e want to continue to demonstrate the demand, interest and value of having a makerspace on campus,鈥� says Griswold. 鈥淲e are hoping this space becomes one of multiple satellite locations at 易胜博官网.鈥�

To learn more about the 易胜博官网 Makerspace, including fall semester hours, policies and volunteer opportunities, visit the or email maker.space@unh.edu.

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