Since opening last year, the Makers Studio in the Innovation Lab has created new opportunities for students to showcase their creative work across campus.   

A recent example is a project by Clay Bernhard, a junior in aerospace engineering and Makers Studio shop supervisor, who helped create a miniature 3D printed violin for special guests of Joshua Bell’s performance on Feb. 4 as part of the Remmers Lecture Series.  

“It’s good to get tasked with a project to work on the whole stage, from designing it up until delivering it,” Bernhard says. “It’s different, and it’s more towards what I’ll actually be doing once I graduate.”   

Bernhard was assigned the project by Mattew Dalton, the Makers Studio coordinator, who received the request from organizers of the event. He gave Bernhard photos for inspiration, then let his creativity get to work.  

“I took what those pictures were and modeled it, made a design for them, then we prototyped it here,” Bernhard says. “We gave the event organizers the prototype and they liked it. Now, we start making the ‘real’ thing.” 

Bernhard’s violin is just one example of a student’s Makers Studio creation featured at a campus event. Josh Ludwig, a senior in computer engineering and shop supervisor in the Makers Studio, worked on a project that was featured in the Festival of Trees event in December. The 3D printed mini holiday trees were handed out to each of the 350 attendees.  

“I helped print the trees and helped a bit with the design,” Ludwig says. “I used my knowledge of what colors go well together, and how 3D printing filament is a little bit transparent, so certain colors can show through if you don’t print them thick enough. And everyone got to enjoy those.”  

Ludwig was also tasked with creating 3D printed mini “beams” that were handed out at Missouri S&T’s Welcome Center beam-signing ceremony in October.  

“Before we had the shop, there wasn’t really a place on campus that everybody had access to,” Bernhard says. “We had other design spaces but there was always a requirement to get in, whether it was a design team, or you had to be in a certain class. But since everyone with a student or staff ID can use this space, it’s opened it up for a lot more people.”  

The Makers Studio offers much more than 3-D printing. It also has woodshop, textiles, cutting tools, an electronics lab, jewelry making, a computer lab and other specialty tools. The space offers basic materials, but people are allowed to bring their own from home.   

Bernhard said students should definitely use the Makers Studio for their own projects, or just for fun. Students with any major, as well as staff and faculty, can use the studio as long as they go to the Makers Studio website to complete the training first.  

“I feel like it helps a lot of students with their degree plan,” Bernhard says. “A lot of people come here to work on their senior design projects. It’s also just a good space to come in, relax and get a break from school sometimes while working on your own hobbies.”  

Ludwig says students should use the Makers Studio to practice their creativity and engineering, as well as have fun with side projects such as video game props, stickers, cutting boards and anything else that sparks their interest.  

“It is a space for you to create,” Ludwig says. “It’s about your innovations. It’s not just about doing this for your class or doing this because you have to. The possibilities are pretty much endless on what you can create.”  

Ludwig is a member of the Missouri S&T Makerspace, which he said is trying to make a comeback and get more students into leadership roles.   

“It does help with getting co-ops and internships, especially if you take on a leadership role,” Ludwig says.   

Makerspace is a student-run organization all about hands-on projects and collaboration that offers a supportive environment from other students to explore tools in-depth with additional resources outside the Makers Studio.  

“The motto of Makerspace is ‘teach, learn, make,’” Ludwig says. “It’s all about learning skills that allow you to make projects that you’re motivated to do personally, then teaching others those skills that you learn so that they can go forth and make the projects that they want to make as well.”  

The Makerspace organization and the Makers Studio in the Innovation Lab often go hand-in-hand. Ludwig says it’s worth it to check out both.  

“If you’re looking to build something that’s going to make you happy, I’d definitely say the Makerspace and the Makers Studio are a space for you.”  

The Makers Studio is located in room 205 of the Innovation Lab. For training and shop hours, go to make.mst.edu. To learn more about the Makerspace organization, join their Discord.