Makerspaces are workspaces where people come together to collaborate, experiment, innovate, create, fail and start over again – using both low & high technologies. The University of Limerick, University of Galway, University College Cork Libraries and Maynooth University, are collaborating to create the exclusive CONUL Makerspace.
The maker community is built on sustainability – many makerspaces foster initiatives and projects around innovative ways to reuse and recycle. In this Show & Tell delegates will have the opportunity to learn how to upcycle, repair, make and fix items using technologies that are available in an academic makerspace.
Makerspaces play a part in transforming higher education institutions into pioneering exemplar models of sustainable development (UN/SDG, 2015). In addition to the fun hands-on element of the show & tell, i.e. “making stuff,” we will talk about the importance of a Campus Maker Culture and how learning to reuse, repair and repurpose products, can encourage a university campus as a whole to become more aware of innovative ways to reduce consumption.
Following a brief introduction, delegates will break off into groups at different maker stations where they will learn about the different makerspace technologies. Delegates will be able to experience hands-on experimenting with 3D printing, 3D scanning, virtual reality, creating a 360 Tour using a 3D camera or T-Shirt Printing. Participants will leave the Show & Tell with an understanding of the myriad of technologies available in a makerspace and how these can contribute to a culture of sustainability.