MANAGEMENT BY 'MINIONS'

Academic maker spaces, design centers, innovation institutes, and creativity labs of all kinds are becoming popular hubs of activity on many campuses, particularly within engineering colleges and departments. These spaces generally offer a physical location with fabrication resources and support for students to learn and work in a hands-on environment. However, they are more than just fabrication facilities because a key element of a maker space is the community itself. The people matter just as much as--or more than--the machines. A participatory culture that encourages informal interactions between the communities that the maker space serves is what distinguishes it from a facility used only for fabrication. Here, Buckley and Roberts evolution of the Design Studio at the University of Delaware Department of Mechanical Engineering.