Students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University aren’t waiting until they graduate and obtain the perfect job to bring their innovative ideas to life. Through an on-campus makerspace, they are designing, manufacturing and producing the very things they learn about in the classroom.
“Makerspaces are places where people with ideas are able to develop and make prototypes and work with others to solve problems or potential problems,” said Dr. John Kelly, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “It’s a space where ideas are advanced to the point of actualization.”
Currently referred to as the College of Engineering Makerspace until an official naming ceremony at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, the makerspace is designed and run completely by students. In fact, Kelly says the students initiated the project.