There are currently two active locations at Hanes Art Center and Kenan Science Library, and a third location is being built in Murray Hall.
The spaces are stocked with materials like wood, Plexiglas and plastic. Students can use any consumables in the space to create projects that matter to them, whether they are school related or not.
Advanced technology such as laser cutters, vinyl cutters and 3D printers are available for students’ use at no charge.
“As long as you come in and get trained on the equipment, you can use the equipment to make whatever you want,” said Michelle Garst, the UNC Be a Maker program manager. “You can come in and build a coffee table for your apartment. You can make key chains with your sorority or fraternity letters on it. You can make anything that is in your head.”
Although the use of these tools requires training, no prior experience is required to become oriented by the program.
“Even if a student doesn’t have any experience on these tools, even if a student walks in and they don’t even know what they want to make,” Garst said. “I specifically want to bring in those students — the students who might be intimidated by this — and I want to help those students build that confidence.”
MakNet, UNC’s student maker group, hosts workshops for students from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Tuesday. Opportunities are available for students who have not been oriented, letting them gain experience with the tools.
“I think a lot of people are afraid to take action in their lives to cause a change, and makerspaces represent a way to give people that power in a tangible sense,” said MakNet Co-President Adam Kunesh. “If you can get people used to the idea of using the skills you learn to improve your life, people in general are happier.”
