Home is Where You Make It
Illustration by Breanna Newburn
Article by Reese Borchert
NEWBERG, Ore. – When students move to college, they may be leaving behind their garages, craft rooms and family members who always seem to own the right tools. Fortunately, George Fox University (GFU) offers a space that fills this gap. The Maker Hub, located in Klages Center, is brimming with resources for creators of all kinds.
“The students at this university don't recognize how cool this place is,” says Maker Hub Manager Nick Sullivan. He says it is rare for universities to have 16,000 square feet of room for students to realize their imaginations, especially considering GFU’s size.
One of the most popular and accessible tools for students is the 3D printers found in the Prototype Lab. They allow for both stereolithography (SLA) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing. An average of seven of them are working at all times.
Another favorite station is the sewing machines. Ryan Benson is a junior communications major who renews his access to the Maker Hub each year. He often makes tote bags, enjoying that the station supplies everything from thread to an ironing board.
“My goal is to work on dresses, which is my actual dream with sewing,” says Benson. He would love to eventually custom-design them, tailoring unique pieces to his clients.
Sullivan recalls a few interesting projects he has witnessed during his time working at GFU. Dance team members heat pressed t-shirts. A mechanical engineering student built an acoustic guitar and another 3D printed a board game, his own version of Settlers of Catan. Alumni returned to make signs for their wedding.
“There are barriers in place,” says Sullivan. “Training is required before you can just walk up and use a laser cutter.”
To access the machinery, equipment and materials, applicants must pass a quiz upon completing a Canvas course. The public is welcome at events like Santa’s Workshop and Rings and Roses, when these barriers are reduced to increase visibility and make the space less intimidating.
“We've done some demographic analysis and, for sure, engineering is our biggest user,” says Sullivan. This is partly because engineering and art professors integrate the Maker Hub into their courses. While GFU has about three hundred engineering students, there are close to eight hundred people who swipe into the space yearly.
“It makes no difference whether you’re an engineer or not; it's just cool you're making something,” says Ryker Belles, a business-turned-engineer sophomore. Belles is currently working with a team on a concept that empowers prosthetics to play ping-pong for the ENGR 151 Design Project assignment.
“One of my favorite things is seeing someone tentative when approaching a piece of equipment and, over time, they become confident in using it,” says Sullivan. “Their skill increases and they can build quality things. It's cool to see that growth in students.”
Sullivan and his staff wish to help students become comfortable in the Maker Hub so they might take full advantage of its use. “This maker space was a huge blessing, made possible by the Murdock Foundation, same as the library and KEEN,” says Sullivan. These donors led to the renovation of what was once the dining hall at the heart of campus in 2016. Members of the GFU community are encouraged to maximize use of the Maker Hub and pioneer transformations of their own.
