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From a single homemade 3D printer to a comprehensive creative hub, the �鶹ӰԺ University Makerspace has spent the last 10 years transforming into a vibrant, interdisciplinary laboratory for students, faculty, and staff. Now boasting laser cutters, sophisticated sewing machines, and an array of 3D printers, it is a testament to the university’s collaborative spirit. 

“Celebrating 10 years of the Makerspace is a reminder of how transformative access to tools and shared creativity can be,” said Becky Frank, director of the Seeley G. Mudd Library. “It’s not just about technology or equipment; it’s about empowering people to learn by doing, to problem-solve, and to imagine what’s possible.” 

Angela Vanden Elzen, associate professor, reference and learning technologies librarian, and leader of the Makerspace, sees its longevity and growth as a testament to the creative and inclusive nature of �鶹ӰԺ University. 

“It shows that collaborative spaces are welcome here,” Vanden Elzen said. “Students, faculty, and staff support the kind of space where we learn from one another, where we are sharing materials, equipment, and expertise. I think that is something that makes �鶹ӰԺ really special.” 

The Spark: How a homemade printer launched campus innovation

Conversations around a dedicated Makerspace began back in 2013, sparked by a desire among faculty and staff for students to have access to 3D printing technology. 

David Berk, director of instructional technology at �鶹ӰԺ, convened interested parties to discuss new technologies and ideas. During one of these meetings, former chemistry professor Dave Hall showed off his own 3D printer he had built to use in class—the inspiration for a creative space on campus. 

The library, as the physical heart of campus, became the natural home for the Makerspace. 

“Since the beginning, the Makerspace has been a space that is collaborative and responds to student, faculty, and staff needs,” said Vanden Elzen. “Every piece of equipment was requested by a faculty member or student who needed it for a project. It’s very much been responding to the needs to the campus, especially related to the curriculum.” 

Vanden Elzen worked with campus partners and the grants team to secure initial funding from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). This funding allowed them to purchase their first 3D printers, 3D scanners, and computers. 

From the start, the focus was not only a creative outlet but also supporting career enhancement and integrating maker pedagogies into curriculums. 

“We wanted to be able to let students work on hands-on skills and develop future-ready thinking,” Vanden Elzen said. “Helping students express their creativity helps them bring their ideas to life and develop these new skills.” 

Frank agreed, citing the Makerspace as a natural extension of what libraries have always stood for: curiosity, exploration, and access to knowledge.

“It’s given students a place to experiment, create, and bring ideas to life, connecting what they learn in the classroom to the real world,” Frank said. 

Building the Ethos: Librarians as learners, community as creation

The Makerspace opened the summer of 2015. Housed in the library, Vanden Elzen took an increasingly active role in developing policies and overseeing operations. While Dave Hall and staff members from UW-Stevens Point provided early support on 3D printing and makerspace management, Vanden Elzen said she picked up many of the other skills as she went. 

“To any librarian or instructional technologist, you know it’s just what we have to do,” Vanden Elzen said. “We need to be responsive to the needs of the people we’re serving.” 

This responsiveness involved not only learning how to use and maintain the equipment but also developing a framework for teaching others. Recognizing that the Makerspace was about more than just equipment, Vanden Elzen helped develop a clear set of learning outcomes and an official Makerspace ethos.

“A makerspace means collaboration, a failure-safe environment, being respectful and responsible,” Vanden Elzen said. “It’s not just making with the objects; it’s also making with the community.”

Prototypes and Pedagogy: Transforming the Curriculum

When the Makerspace first opened, its limited capacity meant it was tied mostly to coursework. Faculty approached Vanden Elzen with ideas about for integrating the Makerspace into their curriculum. Her job is to collaborate with faculty to ensure learning outcomes are met with the right tools.

Doug Martin, professor of physics, first engaged deeply with the Makerspace in 2019 when he began working with Vanden Elzen on 3D printing a research-grade microscope. Martin’s goal was to create a high-quality instrument easily built by anyone with access to a 3D printer.

They are currently on prototype version 51, but the real impact can be seen in the student outcomes.

“During this process, a half-dozen students have spent summers working in the Makerspace to improve the microscope parts,” Martin said. “One graduate has gone on to work on telescope development with 3D software. Another uses design software to model high-energy physics. So the prototyping with the Makerspace has had fantastic long-term outcomes for these students.” 

The space also provides practical solutions for labs, as demonstrated by Meghan Raebel, assistant lab supervisor. She used 3D printers to address contamination issues in a biology lab.

“Students were setting long glass pipettes directly on the countertop,” Raebel said. “I found free (3D model) files that allowed pipettes to be suspended above the counter and keep them separate without touching. I was able to use the 3D printers to make a class set.” 

The Makerspace’s interdisciplinary reach also extended to the humanities. Brigid Vance, associate professor of history, used the space in her course “Early Cross-Cultural Interactions Along the Silk Road.” After students read an essay focused on the astrolabe—an astronomical, navigational, and time-keeping device used by the ancient Greeks and Romans—she used the Makerspace to 3D print the devices. The exercise enhanced student learning by experiencing a reading through touch.

“For them, manipulating an astrolabe in an attempt to orient themselves in geographical space was both challenging and illuminating,” Vance said. “Challenging in that it was a new instrument for everybody in the class. Illuminating in that it helped students experience the astrolabe and better understand the points of a technically difficult essay.”

“I think the Makerspace helps students and faculty to see another way in which education can look so different,” Vanden Elzen said. “The simple act of focusing on an idea while designing, selecting materials, and using tools can supplement classroom learning and help students see things from a different perspective.”

Frank added: “It reminds us that learning isn’t confined to a classroom or a textbook—it happens wherever imagination, tools, and people come together.”

Empowerment through Creation: Stories of Future-Ready Lawrentians

As the Makerspace’s reputation grew, so did its hours and accessibility, thanks in large part to a dedicated team of student assistants. This expansion allows for personal projects, tinkering, and skill-building outside of class. 

Vanden Elzen sees this as central to the Makerspace mission.

“I see it as helping them become future-ready Lawrentians; they’re learning to take control of their lives through a seemingly small way of repairing something instead of buying something new,” Vanden Elzen said.

First-year Eleanor Erwin from Wausau, Wisconsin perfectly captures the wonder the space can inspire:

“When I first heard about the Makerspace, I figured it would be a closet with some watercolors. I soon realized that it was a dedicated space for every kind of creation!” Erwin said. “The fact that this space is here, staffed with passionate creatives, with easy access to training, and is stocked with such a variety of good-quality supplies and machines (with no additional cost) really makes me feel that �鶹ӰԺ cares about artistic expression.”

For senior Lee Gobenciong, a student assistant, the space has been a source of empowerment in several ways, from learning to sew to repair and alter his clothing, to developing critical teaching skills. 

“I’ve improved with interacting with different people and teaching instead of me listening to a teacher,” Gobenciong, a business & entrepreneurship major from Park Ridge, Illinois, said. “That’s a skill I know I will use in business and in my career.”

Junior Grace Romano, also a Makerspace student assistant, received a tour of the Makerspace from Charlie Wetzel ‘23 during her first year. The rest was history.

“It feels good because I remember getting trained, and it made me happy after I was trained, because I would come in here and just make whatever I wanted,” Romano said. “Now other people can do that because I help them and give them access.”

To Romano, a studio art and geosciences major from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the Makerspace was also a place to meet people and build a community.

“This is a good community space to meet like-minded people,” Romano said. “It’s like I have a higher chance of finding someone with shared interests here than I do anywhere else.” 

The Next Chapter: Keeping Creation Current

Over the past decade, the Makerspace as been a devoted space for creative expression in and out of the classroom. Vanden Elzen intends to keep “making” current.

“Learning new technologies, integrating new ideas, new digital literacies, like working with AI,” Vanden Elzen said, “those are very important things for our students and for all of us to understand.” 

“The Makerspace fits with the mission at �鶹ӰԺ, especially to help create future-ready, lifelong learners. I think the Makerspace really helps establish this idea of empowerment through creation, and it really fits with this idea of curious learners, curious Lawrentians. I have been happy to be able to support the Makerspace in its growth over the years, and I would love to see it grow even more.”