LIFT Program at the Makerspace

Casen working with the Prusa XL 3D printer

Casen working with the Prusa XL 3D printer

The Learning Interventions for Teens (LIFT) program is a mentorship-based program held at Williams every winter study. This program pairs Williams College students with teenagers involved with the Berkshire County juvenile justice system. It offers teenagers an opportunity for personal growth, skill-building, and creative exploration. Over the course of three weeks, students engage in hands-on projects centered around art, photography, 3D printing, and other disciplines.

During our 2025 winter study, the Makerspace partnered with one of the mentor-mentee pairs, Sarah Sousa ’28 and Casen, respectively. Casen was interested in 3D printing and was eager to learn more about how he could use it for his project. Casen was interested in printing two cars that he envisioned using a black filament. David Keiser-Clark, the Makerspace Program Manager, and I gave Sarah and Casen a tour of the Makerspace and shared an overview of all the resources and tools that were available to them. I then worked with Casen and showed him the entire procedure involved in 3D printing, starting from slicing the 3D models to loading the filament and eventually initiating the print. After our demonstration, Casen was ready to implement the entire 3D printing process by himself.

One of Casen's 3D printed model cars

One of Casen’s 3D printed model cars

Altogether, the printing process for both cars took two days to complete. Once the prints were finished, the task of removing the supports—structures that help to stabilize the print during the process—was still a challenge. Removing the supports is usually straightforward, but it was a tricky process for these cars, yet Casen carefully removed them without damaging the prints. He was very patient with it and developed his own innovative techniques to remove them. 

During this time, Casen and Sarah also worked together on their final presentation—which I had the chance to attend on the last day of Winter Study. It was exciting to see all of the interesting projects that students in the program had been working on. The projects covered a range of topics, including nail art, attorney mentorship, and music. It was also lovely to see mentors and mentees receive their certificates of completion. I felt genuinely inspired to see how Williams’ resources helped Casen and other students explore and build upon their interests.

From Summer Sunshine to STEM Making: Makerspace’s Reflections on a Season of Innovation

Divine Uwimana ’27 and Qi Wang ’26 have an ice cream chat at Spoon Cafe on Spring Street with Makerspace Program Manager David Keiser-Clark.

Divine Uwimana ’27 and Qi Wang ’26 have an ice cream chat at Spoon Cafe on Spring Street with Makerspace Program Manager David Keiser-Clark.

Written by: Qi Wang ’26, Divine Uwimana ’27, Divya Sijwali’ 28.

What happens when you mix a dash of creativity, a sprinkle of STEM magic, and a whole lot of teamwork? Well, welcome to a summer at the Makerspace! Imagine learning how to 3D print parts for a science kit by day and swapping sketches on designs over ice cream by night. 

Divine Uwimana ’27 and Qi Wang ’26 worked in the Makerspace this past summer as student workers. They made significant progress on a Towards Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (TIDE) grant awarded to develop sustainable and reusable STEM learning kits for 5th-grade students in nearby under-resourced elementary schools. 

In the summer, Divine and Qi learned Fusion 360 (computer-aided design software) and advanced 3D printing, including calibrating printers and determining the most appropriate hot-end temperature settings. They identified and associated core curriculum science concepts with their STEM kit models and learned how to use rapid prototyping to test and quickly iterate on conceptual designs. By the end of the summer, they had developed three STEM kit models. Their kits centered on storing variable amounts of potential energy by using 3D printed torsion springs, gravity, and rubber bands. Their goal was for a single set of common parts to support all three models.

What Does Makerspace Mean to Them?

Divine Uwimana ’27 has worked in the Makerspace since the start of her first year at Williams. Divine believes that the Makerspace has offered her a place to learn and create. She said, “I love seeing the product of my learning, and it’s motivating to know that my summer experience will help elementary students learn.” As a math major, the Makerspace has allowed her to apply her skills in mathematics and be creative with them. She added, “I’ve also learned to pay attention to details and have noticed how you can see a huge difference when you change the smallest detail.” 

While working on this project, Divine felt a deep sense of excitement and responsibility: it was fun to make the kits, but making them for the kids made them more meaningful. Developing these STEM learning kits was a way to blend her skills with younger students’ needs, hoping it would enrich their learning experiences. Every design and every print felt a step closer to making a tangible impact. As she dove deeper into learning Fusion 360 and fine-tuning her 3D printing techniques, she felt a sense of accomplishment in turning ideas into designs and then finally into design models. Seeing the pieces come together was incredibly motivating for Divine; the process showed how small adjustments, like changing the length or thickness of a model or adjusting temperature settings, could make a huge difference in the final print.

The opportunity to work collaboratively in a focused environment manifested several “aha” moments for Divine. She said that the most notable was having first-time opportunities to assemble a mechanical Scotty dog kit (created at Carnegie Mellon University’s TechSpark Makerspace), a 3D printer enclosure kit, a wall-mounted tool rack, and a DeWalt shop vac. These assembly projects helped Divine conceptualize pieces that go together. It also helped her learn how to approach designing her own STEM kit models.

3D printed wind up car with an embedded rubber band power source

3D printed wind up car with an embedded rubber band power source

Qi Wang ’26 started working in the Makerspace this summer. She appreciates the existence of the Makerspace at Williams because of its real-world application. She said, “Williams is a liberal arts college but also very prestigious. The courses here often are very theoretical, while internships trend towards being pre-professional. The Makerspace is a rare space in between these extremes.” As a comparative literature major, she recognizes that Williams’ courses focus on literature critiques rather than creative writing. The Makerspace offers a space for applied hands-on academic work that requires learning how to research and implement STEM concepts while utilizing her creative writing and thinking skills. Qi found this summer work filled a gap that had been missing in her education at Williams.

Qi also points out the invaluable opportunity of full-time summer work in the Makerspace. She said, “During a typical semester, you see progress only after many weeks because you can only work for at most 20 hours a week as a student worker, compared to the summer, where we have been working 40 hours a week. I feel really good about our summer project in the Makerspace because we’re seeing so much success in just over nine weeks of work.”

Qi believes that the connection between Comparative Literature and the Makerspace is a blend of storytelling and science, like finding the plot twist hidden in a machine or crafting a narrative around STEM. In Comparative Literature, she’s used to dissecting stories, examining themes, and understanding every word’s purpose. At the Makerspace, Qi found herself bringing that same attention to detail and creativity to projects, as if each STEM kit was its own story waiting to unfold.

3D printed gravity-powered car

3D printed gravity-powered car

Creating STEM kits is like crafting a hands-on narrative for the elementary students who will one day use them. Just as she analyzes texts to bring out underlying meanings, Qi digs into her projects with a literary eye—considering how each part fits, how each mechanism flows, and how a simple change in design can rewrite the entire “storyline” of a STEM model. The Makerspace offered her a refreshing new way to put her analytical mind to work, letting her blend the theoretical with the practical and transform her love for literature into a hands-on learning journey.

How Was Their Experience Working Together? 

Qi believes that working with Divine has been one of the best teamwork experiences she has had at Williams. She said, “We each have our strengths and have learned how to contribute our ideas to each other’s established work. People often love to give advice, but we’ve figured out how to have our advice add value to our ongoing work.” 

“I’ve also enjoyed working on these kits with Qi and learned a lot from her,” Divine said. “She was always willing to help and provide me with honest feedback. She always had a positive attitude and always made the working atmosphere fun and motivating.”  

In the fall semester, they will hand off their work to two first-year students to develop it further. Divine said, “I am looking forward to seeing the impact of our work and to hearing feedback from both students and teachers at the Pownal Elementary School.” 

Alumni Reunion Weekend at the Makerspace

During the sunny and pleasant reunion weekend of June 7th and 8th, the Makerspace was bustling, offering tours and hands-on making experiences to over 200 Williams alums and their families. We prepared a hands-on project that would allow people to use 3D-printed molds to cast Makerspace-themed coasters, sourced from upcycled Amazon cardboard boxes. This fun experience allowed us to share and discuss an environmentally friendly DIY project that people could easily replicate at home. People can even create their own custom molds!

During the alumni reunion weekend, the kids seemed most excited to mix the ingredients, mold the pulp, and finally clamp the coasters. They also got to take home coasters that we had prepared (and dried!) ahead of time.

Alums in the Makerspace on June 7th, 2024

Alums in the Makerspace on June 7th, 2024

Recipe

  • Cardboard boxes (50g)
  • Water (170g)
  • PVA Glue (15g) (we used Titebond II woodworkers glue; Elmer’s white glue works, too)

Tools

Instructions

  • Cut the Amazon boxes into small pieces
  • Add into the blender: 50g of cardboard, 170g of water, and 15g of glue

    The kids were excited to mix the ingredients (cardboard, water, and glue)

    The kids were excited to mix the ingredients (cardboard, water, and glue)

  • Blend until it’s thick and looks like wet clay
  • Assemble the 3D-printed mold: we used and modified this Pulp-it model

    Kids took turns squeezing extra water from the pulp

    Kids took turns squeezing extra water from the pulp

  • Put the pulp in a cheese cloth and squeeze the excess water out
  • Fill the mold with the damp pulp
  • Press the pulp with your hands so that it is dense and evenly distributed in the mold

    And this is how you squeeze the clamps on the mold!

    And this is how you squeeze the clamps on the mold!

  • Attach the lid to the mold
  • Press the mold using a clamp
  • Let it dry for 24 hours
  • Carefully remove it from the mold and gently place it to dry in direct sunlight (or in front of a fan or heater vent) for about 6 hours
  • It should now be 100% dry and solid
  • Nice work!
Fusion 360 software: We ended up iterating and tried inverting the extrusion of our design. Which version do you like better?

Fusion 360 software: We ended up iterating and tried inverting the extrusion of our design. Which version do you like better?

The kids had a blast making the coasters while learning about how upcycling minimizes waste in our environment. This activity demonstrated how individual action, no matter how small, may collectively impact positive change.

A pile of upcycled coasters made by our alumni's children (from scrap Amazon boxes)

A pile of upcycled coasters made by our alumni’s children (from scrap Amazon boxes)

According to the Environmental Protection Agency

Packaging materials account for 28.1 percent of the total municipal solid waste (MSW), amounting to 82.2 million tons of generation in 2018. This amount poses a high environmental risk and requires systemic and individual actions to mitigate the risks.

A pile of Amazon boxes

A pile of Amazon boxes

We were inspired by this Pulp-it project, and then we modified their open-source parts by using Fusion 360 software to add the Makerspace logo onto the coaster. To do this, we added an image of the logo and then extruded (raised) it about 8mm. To minimize waste, we tested our prototype models by printing it at 15% of the actual size. 

Fusion 360 software: Before adding our logo

Fusion 360 software: Before adding our logo

Fusion 360 software: After adding our logo

Fusion 360 software: After adding our logo