Students Photocopy Objects with their iPhones!

On Friday, April 5, nearly 20 University of Illinois students stopped by the MakerLab to learn how to photocopy objects with their iPhones. This session was taught by Katie Khau, a UI student in Art & Design and a MakerLab Trainer. Katie demonstrated how to photocopy objects using the new iPhone app, 123D Catch (www.123dapp.com/catch). As part of this demonstration, Katie printed out a small scale photocopy of a 3D printed replica of Rodin's "The Thinker" (www.thingiverse.com/thing:34343). She has also put up a tutorial, if you want to try this. If you have questions, please post on our Forums

In the coming months, we plan to offer more training sessions such as this. Our next session is a tutorial on Google Sketchup on Friday, April 19 from 12:00-1:00pm. To RSVP, email us at uimakerlab@illinois.edu or signup on facebook. Subscribe to our blog RSS feed to be the first to hear about events and other exciting news from MakerLab.

Katie shows her scan of The Thinker

Provost Adesida visits the MakerLab

University of Illinois, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Ilesanmi Adesida , visited the MakerLab on March 26. He was very interested in this new space housed in the College of Business , which introduces design thinking and allows students to learn by making. He shared his thoughts on how introducing hands on learning earlier in the engineering curriculum has improved student learning, engagement and retention.

He also shared some details of other initiatives which the university is considering to create more such "design" friendly spaces, which would encourage cross-functional collaborations. We are proud to say that the MakerLab, serves this mission of the university very well, with many majors using the lab in the few weeks that we have been open.

Illinois MakerLab In the News .... Again

The Daily Illini covered the MakerLab in the news today. Have a look.

The President discusses 3D printing in the State of the Union address

The President discussed the role of 3D printing in resurrecting manufacturing in the US and discussed the investments made in the sector in the State of the Union Address today.

Quote "Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything."

(President Obama talks about 3D printing, starting at 14:54).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7doAXkmGJw

The President is referring to the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute NAMII as the pilot institute under the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) initiative. More details on the initiative at http://namii.org/about/background/

We hope the new MakerLab will be an important contributor to this cause.

Cover Feature on the NMC Horizon Report

Great News! The Makerlab has been featured on the cover of the 2013 NMC Horizon Report for Higher Education. The NMC Horizon project is "a decade-long research project designed to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in higher education" . It identifies 3D printing as one of key technologies that will impact education in a four to five year horizon. Well we are doing it right now and have set up the first such lab in a business school. The cover photo shows one of our students, looking through the Replicator 1 3D printer, on display at the event in BIF on  5th December 2012. The credit for organizing the photograph go to Mary Kay Dailey, Associate Director of Marketing Communications, in the College of Business.

The report can be downloaded by clicking on the image above or at this link. 2013 NMC Horizon Report - Higher Ed Edition. A video introducing the report is given below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjUtoZllJ1I

Were open for Business

Come visit us at the MakerLab Open House, on Friday 8th Feb, from 10:00 am to 2:00  pm at 103 Surveying Bldg.

Join the Maker Movement.

Learn      3D design

Make   new products

Share   with the world

Refreshments provided

Illinois MakerLab is the first ever 3D printing Lab funded by a Business School available for Students, RSO's, and Faculty from across campus.