Academic Blog Posts

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

3D print of Williamstown and the Berkshires made with multi-colored filament, 2x vertical exaggeration

3D Printed Topographical Maps of Louisiana, Bhutan, and the Berkshires!

By Elena Deegan-Krause | September 11, 2025

Arriving in the Berkshires I arrived at Williams as a freshman never having visited the campus. Despite the admissions webpage’s best efforts to warn me, I was still shocked by … Continue reading

Common forms of e-waste.

Environmentally Sustainable 3D Printer Upgrades Reduces E-Waste

By Alice Sore | August 25, 2025

Out of everything we use here at the Makerspace, our 3D printer fleet is the MVP. Students and faculty rely on these machines constantly, cranking out everything from quick concept … Continue reading

Mousetrap-powered car

Revving Up STEM Education: Optimizing Mousetrap Cars for the Makerspace STEM Kits

By Milton Vento | August 25, 2025

Imagine a classroom of 5th graders buzzing with excitement as their mousetrap-powered cars zoom across the floor, each tweaking their design to outrace the others – all while learning the … Continue reading

Sewall bulletin board: rehabilitated condition

A Quick Fix, Fabric-Style: Makerspace Teams Up with Facilities

By David Keiser-Clark | August 14, 2025

When Yvette Belleau, Facilities Lead Custodian, reached out to the Williams College Makerspace/FabLab, she had a very specific eyesore on her hands: the well-loved bulletin boards in Sewall and Goodrich … Continue reading

A still photo from a video of a sweeping hyperbolic paraboloid with a ball resting right at its unstable center. Photo courtesy of Brough Morris.

Hyperbolic Paraboloid: The Ball that Wouldn’t Roll Away

By Alexa Hanson | June 29, 2025

At first glance, the shape looks like a saddle, a sweeping hyperbolic paraboloid with a ball resting right at its unstable center. Under normal conditions, gravity would quickly win, sending … Continue reading

Later data acquisition: larger change in temperature

Does Optogenetic Inactivation of TRPA1-expressing Neurons Diminish Heat Avoidance in Drosophila Larvae?

By Tess Everett | May 30, 2025

Authors: Claire Colvin ’27, Tess Everett ’27, Shiv Patel ’27.  For our Neuroethology class (NSCI 324/BIOL 314) with Professor Charlotte Barkan, we decided to explore the extent to which TRPA1, … Continue reading

Side view of the final 3D printed tenon, after post-processing, weighs about 20 pounds

Mayan Tenon: Bringing the Past to Life with 3D Printing

By Harris Longfield | May 14, 2025

Background College campuses hold a wealth of history, blending the stories of their institutions and community with those of the wider world. The epitome of this fascinating history can be … Continue reading

Contents of upcycled mending kit includes a block printed "Strive for Zero Waste" by Leni Fried of the Old Stone Mill Center.

Life After Williams: Stitching Memories Workshop

By Aracely Watson | May 12, 2025

As a Resident Director, one of my responsibilities is to plan and execute a Life After Williams (LAW) event. LAW events are designed to teach students practical skills that will … Continue reading

Mohammad Faizaan '23

Alumni Reflection: My Experience in the Makerspace (Mohammad Faizaan ’23)

By Mohammad Faizaan | May 8, 2025

During the tour of campus at First Days my freshman year, I heard that Sawyer Library had a room full of 3D printers, a VR headset, video gaming rooms, and … Continue reading

Tsedaye Makonnen unpacking and seeing the woven mylar demo for the first time.

Astral Sea: Weaving Memory, Migration, and Movement at Williams College

By Divya Sijwali | April 29, 2025

This year, Williams College collaborates with the Clark Art Institute to become a vital site for the next chapter of Astral Sea, an ongoing series by multidisciplinary artist Tsedaye Makonnen. … Continue reading

Darkroom Meets MakerSpace: How 3D Printing Transformed a Photography Class

By Divine Uwimana | April 28, 2025

What happens when a darkroom tool goes extinct, but twenty students still need it? The class had everything: a large-format camera, a darkroom, and eager students. It lacked only one … Continue reading

Wood, Memory, and Heritage: The Making of Engraved Gifts for Repatriation

By Divine Uwimana | April 26, 2025

Last spring, I worked on a project in the Makerspace that involved creating engraved wood slices as gifts for a reburial ceremony. This event was the reburial of the ancestors … Continue reading

2025 Graduating Seniors!

Capping Off the Journey: A Senior Celebration

By Divya Sijwali | April 23, 2025

This February, seniors gathered at the Davis Center for a creative afternoon of cap decorating, laughter, and celebration. The event, held on Friday, February 14th from 3–5 PM during Winter … Continue reading

Harper Treschuk ‘25, Varya Kluev ‘25, and Tegra Ilunga '27 test seam durability using a digital crane scale

From Fabric to Formula: Quantifying Seam Durability (STAT 344)

By Harper Treschuk | April 22, 2025

A trio of statistics students—Harper Treschuk ‘25, Varya Kluev ‘25, Tegra Ilunga ’27—collaborated with the Makerspace and FabLab to design an experiment that measured how stitching techniques, fabrics, and threads … Continue reading