Makerspace at the UNH ECenter

The Makerspace at the ECenter is a student volunteer-run organization which operates within the ECenter space at Madbury Commons. The Makerspace gives students the opportunity to develop their innovative interests through our three core directives: First, to be as inclusive and interdisciplinary as possible by encouraging all students from all colleges and programs to come together in making things that are meaningful to them—personal projects, academic projects, and prototypes. Second, to ensure that the maker community establishes all decisions regarding the development of resources. Third, to engage with the global “Fab Lab” network of state-of-the-art prototyping facilities by meeting the equipment and operational requirements set forth by the Fab Foundation (a prototyping facility benchmark). For those not familiar with the concept, a makerspace is both a workshop outfitted with fabrication tools and equipment, and a community of “makers.” The maker movement represents the democratization of engineering, design, fabrication, and education. A student-circulated petition in the fall of 2015 catalyzed the support of the UNH community and resulted in securing dedicated space in the ECenter at Madbury Commons, as well as an initial round of funds generously donated by the Wildcatalysts Network, UNHInnovation, and the ECenter. These funds provided retrofits to the space and an initial phase of equipment, tools, and materials.