On Michigan Tech’s campus there are several makerspaces available for students to use for free. One of these makerspaces is The Alley, located in the MUB basement and open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The Alley provides many different types of equipment for students to use including: machinery for woodworking, 3D printing, sewing and more!
With all the machinery available, there are some safety rules that students must follow. All of the safety requirements will be explained by the Makerspace staff and safety equipment is provided. The Alley staff will also teach all students how to properly use machinery that they desire to use. Ryleigh Parsons, a coach for The Alley, explained that training can be done as long as a trained coach is available to assist. Parsons explained that training time “usually depends on the machine. Some of the wood working takes longer because they have to demonstrate that they know how to use it. But training overall takes under ten minutes.”
Clubs and classes are also more than welcome to hold events in The Alley. To host events in the makerspace, the organization just needs to reserve the space ahead of time by going to their website. Individuals are also welcome to hang out and just do their own crafts. If people are interested in working on a project there are a couple videos posted on the Alley’s website that go over basic techniques and full blown craft projects. So far the Alley has accumulated over 6,400 visits this year. Please visit www.makerspace.mtu.edu for more information on The Alley.
The Plexus Innovation Lab is the other makerspace on campus located in the EERC 621. The Plexus lab is focused on being an area where students can create circuit boards. The hours for the Plexus lab vary – to find times, please visit makerspace.ece.mtu.edu.There are many different machines in the Plexus Lab such as soldering machines and 3D printers. The Plexus Lab also has coaches that will train and help students use the technology in the lab. There is always a variety of free components for students to utilize. If students are ever looking for particular parts there is a spreadsheet on the Plexus lab’s website that will state all the free parts currently available.
