Housed on the ground floor of Georgia Tech’s Manufacturing Related Disciplines Complex (MRDC) is the nation’s largest volunteer student-run makerspace, the Flowers Invention Studio.
Founded in 2009, the goal of the studio is to facilitate creativity and give the opportunity for Tech students to “design, build, and play” in a space entirely guided by students. Use of the studio is free for Tech students, faculty, and staff.
What Can You Make?
The Invention Studio includes dozens of 3D printers, an embroidery machine, welding equipment, a laser cutter, and a broad inventory of other machines and tools. Each year, new equipment is added to expand the scope of what can be made in the studio.
With these tools, students can create just about anything, whether it be for a class project or personal interest. Lightsaber hilts, helmets, a guitar, rings, and stickers are just a few popular items to come out of the studio over the last couple of years.
What Does It Mean to Be Entirely Student Run?
At the studio, students teach one another, students manage the budget, and students even fix the machines when they break down.
Ella McChesney, a third-year computer engineering major from Reisterstown, Maryland, and president of Invention Studio at Georgia Tech, the student organization that runs the studio, explains being student-led means the studio is a true playground of discovery and experimentation.
“Finances, staffing, all of it is managed by students,” she said. “And everyone who works here is a volunteer. They volunteer three hours of their time each week, and in return, they get 24/7 access to the space.”
The studio is staffed by roughly 160 trained student volunteers known as prototyping instructors (PIs), who represent every school on campus. Since the Invention Studio is open to all Tech students for free, PIs are essential in safely guiding students who might be less familiar with the studio through the creation process.
For Austin Buck, shop manager and fourth-year mechanical engineering major from Canton, Georgia, there is a profound beauty in the Invention Studio being a truly independent student venture. Ultimately, it allows for complete ownership of the space and how it is used.
“You feel so much more rewarded when at the end of the day, you see somebody complete a project, and you know that you didn’t just help teach them that skill, you helped order this machine. You helped replace these parts. You did the maintenance,” said Buck. “It makes the space feel much more personal for us.”
Why Get Involved?
For McChesney, Buck, and Smita Bhogle, the studio’s vice president for engagement, it’s all about getting to be a part of another student’s creative process.
“You might be thinking, ‘why would a busy college student volunteer three hours of their time to this?’” said McChesney. “When a student comes in to learn how to make a sticker, and I show them how in less than 10 minutes, they can’t believe how easy and fun it is. We get to be a steward of creativity in that way.”
“We’re creating creators,” Buck added.
If a student is unable or doesn’t wish to become a PI and volunteer their time, they’re still able to use the space during open studio hours. Doing so is an excellent way to translate classroom skills into practical knowledge, which can build resumes and boost employment opportunities.
“You’re able to take what you learn and apply it beyond the traditional classroom setting, and at least for me, that’s how I learn best,” said Bhogle, a second-year mechanical engineering student from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. “For example, we get a lot of engineers who might learn how to work with computer-aided design (CAD) software in class, and then they can come in here and actually use those skills to create stuff with our 3D printers. It’s really cool to see that real-world application in this space.”
How to Get Involved
Though the space can be scary for those unfamiliar, all three students emphasize that the space is truly one for the community, and everyone is welcome.
“We know it can be intimidating – we have a lot of tools, and it may seem like people in the studio know a lot,” said Bhogle. “But if you come in – and my goal is to have more workshops so people with little to no experience can feel comfortable – you’ll find that people are kind, and no one cares how much or how little you know. This space is for everyone.”
And for many in the studio, including Buck, teaching students who don’t know the ins and outs of the equipment is all the more fun.
“We like it when you don’t know much,” he said. “It lets us experience the joy of teaching.”
For those who might be nervous, current and prospective students can start by scheduling a tour. Current students can also keep an eye out for workshop sessions, where PIs lead a walkthrough on how to make a particular project, or they can visit the studio during open hours using their BuzzCard and look for a PI, who wear yellow-green or orange arm bands.
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