Tucked within the expansive interior of Edgar Shannon Library, the Scholars' Lab Makerspace offers something most academic spaces do not — the ability to experiment without pressure. Students can be found sewing garments, laser cutting designs or refining 3D-printed models, moving between tools and workstations as creative projects take shape.
The Makerspace is located on the third floor on the south end of the Scholars' Lab — an interdisciplinary research lab involved in the “intersections of technology and culture.” The sandbox-like environment sees students filtering in and out throughout the day, deeply engaged in hands-on work.
Managed by Digital Humanities Developer Ammon Shepherd, the Makerspace has evolved significantly since opening in 2014. Before the completion of Shannon Library's nearly four-year long renovation in 2024, it was a study area with only two sewing machines and two 3D printers alongside basic electronics, according to Shepherd.
Today, it has expanded into a fully developed hub for fabrication — shaped in part by Shepherd’s own experiences visiting makerspaces at institutions across the country. After attending workshops and conferences at universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and Stanford University, Shepherd returned with a clearer vision of what the space could become.
“All of that knowledge came back to me [and] I asked for as much space as I could get,” Shepherd said. “[I] wanted to keep the sewing machines, wanted to keep 3D printers and increase the number of [those], but then also include a laser cutter engraver, because I saw a great need for that in the architecture school.”
Now boasting a much broader range of equipment — including a weaving loom and leatherworking tools — the Makerspace enables projects that range from custom garments to engraved prints and mixed-media design work.
These tools are made approachable by student Makerspace technologists, staffed daily to assist users with equipment, troubleshoot projects and help translate ideas into tangible products. The facility is fully open to the public and Shepherd said this theme of accessibility was a key part of his plan.
“The principles that I kept in designing the Makerspace here was to have it open and accessible for anybody who wanted to use it, and then also having a mixture of different equipment,” Shepherd said. “I really love how people with different interests mix together … that always sparks really cool things.”
Robyn Ogombe, Makerspace technologist and third-year Engineering student, described the space as an opportunity to create outside the constraints of academic disciplines and gain experience with professional equipment.
“Some majors just don’t get the chance or the time to be able to create for the sake of creating,” Ogombe said. “I love when anybody comes in and is like ‘I don't know how to do this. Can I please be shown how to do this?’ And then we'll show them, and then they come in again, and then we don't need to show them.”
With a range of gadgetry and support, small personal crafts to complex, research-driven work are all made possible for visitors. Makerspace technologist and second-year College student Grace Thilenius said that one of the most compelling aspects of the space is seeing how varied — and sometimes unexpected — student projects can be.
“It's a really great creative outlet,” Thilenius said. “It's so interesting to see all the people that come, and all the things that they're working on.”
Many students use the facility to alter or repurpose clothing, taking advantage of available materials rather than purchasing new ones for a sustainable and fashionable hands-on experience, according to Thilenius. She said that the abundance of scrap fabric and sewing machines allows for students to experiment with upcycling.
“I see a lot of people just come in with garments that they want to either alter or just change entirely, and I feel like it's really easy to do that here … if you need a small amount of something, it's there for you, and you don't have to go buy that,” Thilenius said.
A handful of creations are also tied to academic research, as the Makerspace provides the specialized equipment necessary to bring technical ideas to life. According to Shepherd, a standout example came when a group of students worked on custom-sizing infant intubation tubes for emergency medical care.
“About a fifth of the people that use the space seem to come from the biomedical engineering field,” Shepherd said. “One of the really cool projects I saw … [was students] trying to develop a process for really quickly being able to measure the size [of intubation tubes] that is actually needed, and then prototyping them or 3D printing them with our resin printer.”
Looking ahead, Shepherd said that he and the Makerspace technologists hope to continue the growth that broadened the site’s current offerings. Expanding their footprint among the student body, their equipment and size are all steps towards that vision. Their goal throughout remains consistent — to provide a place where anyone can come in and create.
“[The main goal is to] keep the space open for people to explore and become empowered to create and make stuff,” Shepherd said. “That's what I love about this, it's a place where people can come in and make whatever they want.”
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