Academic Blog Posts

Sabrina Farrell: Making an Ancient Greek Lyre for my Classics Independent Study

Making an Ancient Greek Lyre for my Classics Independent Study

By Sabrina Ferrell | April 18, 2026

Echoes of the ancient Greek chelys lyre kept appearing in my courses: Greek pottery depicting a lyrist’s playing technique or ancient literature describing its acoustics. These sources inform our knowledge … Continue reading

Coco Zhang '26 acts in Jane Su's senior theater thesis Hamletmachine #2026

Senior Thesis: Hamletmachine #2026

By Jane Su | April 16, 2026

My senior theater thesis Hamletmachine #2026 requires precision in props—a collection of objects tied to the ensemble performers’ family and political histories. The adaptation thus lives at the intersection of … Continue reading

Senior Year Experience: Igniting Creativity and Innovation at Williams College

By Alexa Hanson | April 14, 2026

As senior year at Williams College nears its conclusion, students are offered a unique and exciting opportunity to leave their legacy through the Senior Year Experience (SYE). The Makerspace and … Continue reading

Mirrorhaploscope final project in Makerspace

Building a Mirrorhaploscope: When Psychology Meets the Makerspace

By Catherine Li | February 6, 2026

Introduction Most people think vision is simple. You open your eyes and see. The new mirrorhaploscope in Assistant Professor Kim Wong’s lab proves it is much more complicated. This past … Continue reading

ChatGPT-generated image of Chronos and symbols of linearized time such as the hourglass and clock gears

Making Time: Reimagining Ancient Greek Paradigms through 3D Printing

By David LaPrade | February 4, 2026

For the final project of my Winter Study course, COGS 10: Minds, Machines, and the Making of Meaning taught by Dr. Charles Kaufmann, I was asked to “integrate the scientific, … Continue reading

The final product of the oxidized Benchy

Rust, Patina, and Star Wars: Playing with Copper-Infused PLA

By David Keiser-Clark | December 29, 2025

What if your 3D prints could age like ancient artifacts? That was the question I asked myself when I got my hands on a spool of copper-infused PLA. Unlike ordinary … Continue reading

Stuffed Cats and Stubborn Needles: A Beginner Sewing Workshop

By Rae Bravo-Contreras | November 18, 2025

The goal of this workshop was to have participants (a total of 8 people attended) learn basic sewing and cutting skills through the process of making a small stuffed cat. … Continue reading

The FabLab (Sawyer 247)

A Piece of Fall on Your Desk: Making Wire Trees in the FabLab

By Audrey Riddle | November 17, 2025

It’s autumn in the Berkshires, and the hillsides have transformed into a living mosaic of yellow, orange, and red. Every bend in the road feels like a painting. It’s the … Continue reading

Divine Uwimana ‘27 puts non-toxic Walrus wood oil on the appreciation protect to enhance the grain.

Honoring Heritage Through Craft

By Divine Uwimana | November 13, 2025

In spring 2025, the Williams College Makerspace partnered with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community to create truly meaningful engraved wooden appreciation gifts for museums that supported the repatriation of ancestors and sacred … Continue reading

Folding Culture into Craft: 3D Pop-Up Cards at the FabLab

By Julia Zhou | November 12, 2025

As part of International Education Week at Williams College, the FabLab hosted a 3D Pop-Up Gift Card Workshop, offering students a hands-on way to explore cultural expression through craft and … Continue reading

Worldwide Crochet Coral Reef

Stitch by Stitch: Building an Ocean in the Berkshires

By Alexa Hanson | October 16, 2025

Imagine walking into the ’62 Center for Theatre & Dance and finding yourself underwater surrounded by waves of vibrant coral, not in glass tanks, but crocheted by hundreds of hands … Continue reading

Stephen Sabio '28 examining the first attempt to use the laser engraver to do a reusable skill stencil.

Can You Use a Laser Cutter to Create Silk Screen Templates?

By John Stepher Sabio | October 15, 2025

Ever wanted to reuse your old silkscreen without first having to clean off the old paint or emulsion? This innovative process explores reusing a stainless-steel screen by applying new acrylic … Continue reading

Preserving History: How I used 3D scanning to preserve an ancient cuneiform tablet

By Alexa Hanson | October 11, 2025

I have always been someone who is interested in different languages. My passion sparked when me and my family moved to the United States from Venezuela, and I needed to … Continue reading

Participants in the Berkshire Satellite Reef Project's crochet workshop, led by Led by Rae Bravo ’28, Annie Trucano ’29, and Professor Amy Holzapfel (standing).

Making Plastic Yarn from Industrial Shrink-wrap for the Berkshire Satellite Reef Project

By Annie Trucano | October 1, 2025

Well, not technically underwater. But when you walk through the main library entrance, you may find yourself surrounded by beautiful crocheted coral pieces. The Williams FabLab was hard at work … Continue reading

Kate Swann (‘26, left) and Hannah Cumming (‘28, right) excitedly preparing to conduct playback experiments on Kent Island. (Photo credit: Ian Kyle)

Studying Savannah Sparrows on Kent Island

By Kate Swann | September 15, 2025

The Williams lab studies Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis), small migratory songbirds that live in grassy fields across North America (Cornell Lab). Savannah sparrows have been the subject of a long … Continue reading