The NYU MakerSpace Celebrates 10 Years of Creativity and Community

By Students, for Students

Sophia Barbaria, a senior at NYU Tandon studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has worked as an inventory lead in the MakerSpace since her sophomore year. She specializes in the Form 3 resin-based 3D printer and the rotary laser cutter, which can engrave cylindrical objects such as vases and bottles. But her favorite project used the vacuum former, a tool used to shape plastic materials. 

“We made mycelium bricks,” she says. “We 3D printed a brick shape, then used the vacuum former to make a mold from it. Then we filled the mold with wood chips and mushrooms and let it sit for a month.” The mycelium, the fungus’s root-like network, grew through the wood chips and bound them together. When the month was up, the loose chips had transformed into a solid brick.

This project exemplifies how creative the MakerSpace invites you to be. “There’s really no limit to what you can make,” says Sophia. “You have guidance; you have resources. You can actually make things come true.”

Mark Ionis, a sophomore who also works in the MakerSpace, started attending trainings here the summer before his first year. Since then, it’s been an integral part of his college experience. “For everyone at NYU, regardless of major, there’s a lot of value in using the machines at the MakerSpace. It allows you to get physical with tasks in a way you often can’t,” Mark says. “College is probably the best time we have for experimentation. If there’s any place to do that, the MakerSpace is the place.” 

Mark used the vinyl cutter to decorate his work vest and the 3D printers to make a pencil case. In his dorm room, he uses a laser-cut board to track his coursework at NYU. “For each course, I design a sticker, make it with the vinyl cutter, and stick it onto the square. Underneath the square, I emblazon it with the course title,” he explains. “It’s a living, evolving testament to all the academics I’m doing here at Tandon.” 

Come as You Are

If the MakerSpace sounds like the kind of place you’d like to check out—but you aren’t familiar with any of the machines—don’t worry. The MakerSpace is for you, even if you’ve never used a 3D printer, held a soldering iron, built a robot, or designed anything in your life. You don’t have to arrive knowing how to make something: You just have to arrive wanting to make something. MakerSpace staff, like Sophia and Mark, are there to help you. “We’ll train you on everything. You don’t have to come in with any prior knowledge,” says Sophia. 

“The MakerSpace is the most direct community space that we have,” says Mark, who’s made many of his friends by hanging out there. “A lot of people come in, pull up their laptop, and do their homework. You don’t have to talk to anyone, but if you want to, some great people are there all times of day.”

Celebrating 10 Years of the NYU MakerSpace 

When the MakerSpace first opened, its goals were to give students access to tools they might otherwise never encounter, bring people from different disciplines together, and provide a space to turn ideas into something real. Ten years later, it’s become a physical manifestation of the spirit and culture of NYU Tandon.  

In addition to offering in-person events as part of its anniversary celebrations, the MakerSpace is hosting a community mural project. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to create tile-style artwork that reflects what the space means to them. Selected tiles will be assembled into a large-scale installation and displayed on the MakerSpace walls long after the anniversary concludes.

“We are celebrating 10 years of giving thousands of students from across NYU the opportunity and confidence to make something that did not exist before,” says Elizabeth Waters, executive director of the MakerSpace. “Technologies have changed enormously in 10 years. What hasn’t changed is the value of putting powerful tools in students’ hands and giving them the freedom to ask, ‘What could I make with this?’”