Academic Blog Posts

Yoheidy Feliz connecting a red maple slab to a slanted locust base, with dowels and wood glue.

Makerspace Collaborating on Multiple Sustainability Projects

By David Keiser-Clark | August 21, 2023

Last spring semester, the Makerspace @ Williams College pivoted to focus on academic projects that support teaching and learning goals; previously, this focus had been an aspirational goal. The Makerspace … Continue reading

Anubhav Preet Kaur

From Teeth to Time: Discovering Siwalik Hills’ Past Through Archaeology

By Valeria Lopez | June 26, 2023

How did we get here? Where do we come from? What does our future encompass? As an aspiring scientist, I have always been fascinated by these (and many more!) questions … Continue reading

Polyformer

Sustainable 3D Printing at Williams College (Part 1)

By Camily Hidalgo | June 15, 2023

Introduction The massive amount of plastic bottles incinerated or dumped in landfills or oceans is a growing global concern. In the United States alone, despite recycling efforts, 22 billion plastic … Continue reading

Arduino board for turntable

Spinning Tales: My Whimsical Adventure in Arduino Turntable Wonderland

By Tashrique Ahmed | June 2, 2023

I remember the day I first laid eyes on that clunky, awkward, yet fascinating automated burrito-making machine in the local toy store. It was love at first sight! I knew … Continue reading

Sculpting a Spine with 3D Printing and Plaster

The Backbone of Art: Sculpting a Spine with 3D Printing and Plaster

By Elissa Berger | May 15, 2023

This semester in Beginning Sculpture (ARTS 132), my professor Amy Podmore tasked us with creating a sculpture in response to a prompt titled “Scaffolded Fragments.” For this project, we had … Continue reading

The “Press The Button” Project

By Sam Samuel | December 7, 2022

Route 2, a highway that cuts through campus, holds a degree of danger as students frequently cross to get to classes, dorms, extracurriculars, etc. Due to this, the campus provides … Continue reading

DAVID5 3D Scanner

3D Scanning: Trials and Tribulations

By Sebastian Tabit | December 2, 2022

This semester I’ve spent most of my time trying to get our DAVID5 (bought by HP and since discontinued) 3D Scanner operational. The scanner is a neat tool that takes … Continue reading

Stepper motor

Understanding Clogging with Relation to Various Filaments

By Himal Pandey | December 1, 2022

The past month of working in the Makerspace has been a period of learning as I started to explore a new part of the Makerspace I hadn’t before: learning how … Continue reading

Stepper motor drawing

How to Fix Clogging and Bed Adhesion Issues

By Emily Salinas Romero | December 1, 2022

So far, I’ve spent most of my time at the Makerspace fixing 3D printers. Here are some issues that I’ve encountered: Clogging How to avoid clogging a printer Before starting … Continue reading

Model using supports

Shall You 3D Print Without Supports?

By Tashrique Ahmed | November 29, 2022

Occasionally, I’ve had to print complex objects that require support constructions to hold the main print in place. In the process, I understood how crucial it is to understand the … Continue reading

Experiences that boost learning

Experiences that Boost Learning

By Camily Hidalgo | November 9, 2022

As a first-year student worker at the Makerspace in Williams College, I have encountered my time here to be highly enriching. In these two months, I have learned core abilities … Continue reading

The Fine Art of Unclogging

The Fine Art of Unclogging

By Valeria Lopez | November 7, 2022

Picture this: You have a hard time deciding what you want to print at The Williams Makerspace, you talk to your friends to brainstorm the best possible artifact, and just … Continue reading

Printing with clay based filaments

Using Clay Based Filaments to Create 3d-Prints

By Leah Williams | July 29, 2022

This is an extension of the WCMA artist project.  At this point, all of the 3d-prints for the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) have been in PLA plastic filament. … Continue reading

E4 Bug Off Team Project, installed in Williams College Community Garden : Mitigating Japanese Beetle Damage

E4 Bug Off Team Project : Mitigating Japanese Beetle Damage

By Leah Williams | July 21, 2022

Japanese beetles are an invasive species that cause considerable damage to plants across much of the United States, including in the Williams College ‘66 Envi Center gardens. The E4 Bug … Continue reading

3d Printing Sculptures with WCMA

3d Printing Sculptures with WCMA

By Leah Williams | June 30, 2022

The makerspace was approached by a representative of the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) to create 3d models of some of the Maya objects, dated to approximately 600-900 CE, … Continue reading