MAK I NG A MARK

What do a bass guitar, a facial recognition lock and a Halloween costume have in common? All three projects have recently emerged from the MakerSpace, home to a creative community at UCLA.

written by CHRISTINE KAO

Colorful objects created at the MakerSpace decorate the site’s counter.

When Charles Melikidse first started his role as MakerSpace manager in 2018, the lab took up 900 square feet in Rieber Hall and provided free equipment, tools and workspaces for students. In the same year, the on-campus UCLA Samueli Makerspace took up residence in Boelter Hall.

In the fall of 2021, the MakerSpace relocated to the newly built Olympic Hall. The upgraded MakerSpace, spanning 3,000 square feet, spreads into four sections: the 3D printing and laser cutting hub, the soft goods work area, the woodshop and metalworking zone and a general space for students. The site is one of four Learning Centers under UCLA Residential Life, which promote exploration by exposing students to different hands-on activities.

“The mission of the MakerSpace is to create a creative community that’s inclusive and welcoming to all UCLA students,” Melikidse said.

Wearing safety goggles, Melikidse cuts a wooden stick into chunks.

Melikidse discovered his passion for hands-on building while studying product design at Otis College of Art and Design. But after entering his first job as a visual merchandiser, he realized many of his projects would be short-lived. He soon turned to exploring new materials and methods to create designs that can be sustainable.

Now entering his fourth year as the MakerSpace’s manager,

Melikidse said he never underestimates the lab’s importance to students. He recalled how a resident director once told him that a student initially considered dropping out after feeling lost at UCLA; however, they changed their mind upon meeting like-minded people at the MakerSpace.

“I think that has been the experience for a lot of students who come into the space,” Melikidse said. “It provides a community that I think is needed, and that’s super impactful in a student’s journey here.”

In the 3D printing area, MakerSpace technician and third-year mathematics and physics student Kenny Bruinsslot operates a Form Wash to rinse excess resin from another student’s project.

For Bruinsslot, the possibilities of the MakerSpace are endless. Since becoming a technician in winter 2021, he has witnessed students create everything from a telescope using the 3D printer to photo frames engraved by the laser cutter. Bruinsslot himself spent much of his summer crafting a bass guitar for his friend – an interdisciplinary project requiring his mastery of wood carving, 3D printing and wiring electronics.

As a technician, Bruinsslot said he regularly faces – and overcomes –the challenge of helping patrons bring their ideas to life. The experience is also a learning process for Bruinsslot, who has since enhanced his own understanding of how different equipment can be used.

“Any ideas that they have, they can bring to fruition here,” Bruinsslot said.

Stacked drawers store electronic components, such as sensors, potentiometers and resistors, which students often use to repair electronics, Melikidse said. The MakerSpace also provides circuit boards, allowing people to troubleshoot their electronics projects and enhance their skill sets.

Curren Mandon smiles as he holds an embroidered patch of Jake the Dog from the animated series “Adventure Time.” Mandon said he enjoys seeing people on campus donning the wardrobes he watches them create in the MakerSpace.

Mandon, a Makerspace technician and third-year preeducation student, transfers vinyl onto a white T-shirt using the heat press machine. The shirt, embellished with the American Red Cross sign and the word “lifeguard,” was a Halloween costume for Mandon’s roommate. A former engineering student, Mandon said the MakerSpace provides him with the hands-on opportunities he lacked in his STEM classes. Since beginning his work as a MakerSpace technician this summer, Mandon has met other creative students who serve as sounding boards for his ideas.

“We run ideas by each other,” Mandon said. “It’s really fun to think of things that we can make in the space.”

As a technician, Mandon’s work ranges from preparing each machine to helping students use different equipment. He added that one of his favorite parts of the job is seeing others’ unexpected ideas, fondly recalling how he once helped a student build a facial recognition device to open their dorm room door.

Using the materials at the MakerSpace, second-year computational and systems biology student Satema López and first-year mechanical engineering student Chris Orr build a 3D-printed rocket model for Rocket Project, a team at UCLA that trains students in design techniques and hands-on projects related to building rockets.

López and Orr are not the only members of the Rocket Project who take advantage of the MakerSpace’s resources. First-year aerospace engineering student Doan Le picks up one of the rockets he built for for Engineering 96R: “Introduction to Engineering Design: Rockets,” a course required to enter Rocket Project. Le and his teammate are currently working toward creating a rocket that can maximize its launch height and overcome the limitations of a relatively weak motor.

Metallic remnants lay on a lathe, a machine that shapes metal workpieces and is often used for the creation of motor parts. Melikidse said the woodshop and metalworking zone, where the lathe is located, is a challenging area to operate. Using woodworking tools requires high levels of attention and safety knowledge, and students must also undergo more extensive training and supervision. Yet he added that the zone is often bustling at the start of the school year as students build pieces of furniture and decorations for their new dorms and apartments.

The ShopBot, a computer numerical control machine that cuts and engraves material, carves a wood board. Melikidse said that instead of simply accepting and processing digital files from students, the MakerSpace operates on a learning model, in which technicians help visitors acquire the skills needed to work the machines themselves.

The MakerSpace boasts three different types of computer numerical control machines alongside the ShopBot: the 5-axis machine, the CNC mill and the CNC router. The CNC machines are controlled by preprogrammed software, rather than manual labor. They often manufacture products with high-accuracy needs, such as surgical tools and aircraft components. These devices support not only training tasks for student clubs, but also the passion projects of the UCLA community, including an aluminum-bodied guitar recently created by a visitor, Melikidse said.

Fourth-year chemistry/materials science student Argo Fair crochets a plastic yarn project. Fair, who also works as a technician and runs sewing workshops at the MakerSpace, is building a six-foot-tall plastic monstera plant by upcycling bags they and their roommates collected from grocery deliveries throughout the pandemic. Although they originally focused on creating garments at the MakerSpace, Fair said they have become more comfortable working with wood since starting as a technician. With their newly acquired skills, they recently built a treeshaped bookshelf.

Visions for the MakerSpace’s future are scribbled on the site’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Technicians also record their ideas regarding potential workshops and projects on a paper box behind their counter. They meet weekly to discuss how to better serve the community and fulfill the MakerSpace’s mission of boosting students’ creativity, Mandon said.

Luk said the team’s beginner workshops have helped engage students from all backgrounds, adding that he hopes more people discover that the MakerSpace is an inclusive space for all students at UCLA.

“We want to be a bigger presence for the community,” Luk said. “We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome at the space, and everyone wants to come in the space. We want to be somewhere where people hang out, learn from each other and really broaden their own creativity.”