From helping a Physics professor visualize the Kepler Conjecture to supporting Dramatic Arts students tasked with visioning a set design, the Brock Library Makerspace brings ideas to life through new and emerging technologies.

The Makerspace invites Brock faculty, staff and students to explore ways to incorporate making into teaching, learning and knowledge sharing.

“There are numerous ways we are able to support the Brock community,” says Makerspace Supervisor Derek Schneider. “We seek to help educate individuals on ways to explore and develop their creative and problem-solving skills through technology.”

The Makerspace currently has capacity to partner with faculty and instructors who are interested in bringing the Makerspace into their classrooms during the Winter 2024 term.

Collaborations with faculty and instructors can include customized workshops for classes or the creation of teaching tools that help students to visualize subject matter.

Past examples include supporting entrepreneurship students with class projects, the creation of a 3D modelled heart and femur to visualize anatomy, and helping a faculty member to print a 3D replica of an object in the Department of Classics and Archaeology Cypriote Museum as part of a research project.

“If you have a creative idea or a problem with conveying how to visualize something, come to us,” says Makerspace Technician and Facilitator Zak Mason. “Even if something is not in our purview of creating, there’s a wide variety of expertise willing to explore possibilities for bringing ideas to fruition.”

Customized workshops are created in partnership with faculty and instructors following a consultation session to discuss, plan and design services offered to students.

Each workshop can accommodate up to 20 students at a time and the same workshop can be offered multiple times to accommodate larger classes.

Students interested in incorporating multimedia, audio or prototyping elements into their research, projects or presentations are also encouraged to consult with the Makerspace.

“Though the technology and programs may change, our goals will always remain the same: inspire, include and educate,” says Schneider. “Through the Brock Library’s Makerspace, I look forward to further connecting with the talented and creative individuals who make up our diverse community.”

Brock University employees and students interested in becoming prospective Makerspace collaborators are invited to schedule an appointment by emailing makerspace@brocku.ca or drop in to RFP 203 for a short consultation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

For more information, visit the Makerspace’s website.