This past Friday, December 1, marked the third installation of the Women’s Makerspace Workshop series. The workshop reserved ten spaces in the ABS Engineering Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and attracted women ranging from first-years to seniors with a variety of backgrounds.
The December 1 workshop agenda was structured to provide attendees with a comprehensive introduction to soldering. Post completion of requisite MakerCenter safety training, workshop attendees were led through an introductory presentation to soldering by Alicia Kearney and Nataly Jimenez. Kearney and Jimenez took the time to explain the dos and don’ts of soldering with detailed pictures — something I envy the first-year workshop attendees for having experienced prior to the dreaded Engineering Design II robot!
Attendees were then invited to try their hand at soldering techniques on a range of media, from printed circuit board (PCB) and resistors to necklaces and rings. Each of the different mediums offered unique challenges: the solder not wanting to stick to the jewelry, and the trouble of actually getting the wires through the hole for through-hole PCB soldering. Kearney and Jimenez expanded the repertoire and troubleshooting capabilities of those in attendance, and created a welcoming environment where attendees could bounce creative ideas off of each other.
I opted to make an amalgamation of the two mediums offered—mini PCB earrings—a craft that required some branching out into the MakerCenter tool drawers for. All students, after completion of safety training, are welcomed to use the MakerCenter for both academic and personal endeavors. The MakerCenter offers a laser cutter, 3D printers, welding, and soldering along with a multitude of other machining opportunities. If you haven’t been this semester, I highly recommend checking out the new fleet of Bambu 3D Printers.
Aside from building up technical skills, these Women’s Makerspace Workshops are a great opportunity to reach out to other women on campus, and raise each other up. It was the casual conversation between attendees sharing their experiences on and off campus that made the event shine in my eyes. Making connections with those in other organizations and the feeling of having someone in your corner when you walk into a GBM for the first time breaks down a lot of the intimidation factor of joining. Thank you to Kearney and Jimenez for the organization, thought and preparation that goes into such an event! I look forward to seeing where the fourth workshop goes.
