{"id":856,"date":"2023-09-29T08:43:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T12:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/?page_id=856"},"modified":"2025-06-25T15:49:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T19:49:32","slug":"testimonials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/testimonials\/","title":{"rendered":"Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"

2024-2025<\/b><\/h2>\n

Alumni Reflection: My Experience in the Makerspace (Mohammad Faizaan \u201923)<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Mohammad<\/a>

Mohammad Faizaan ’23<\/p><\/div>\n

What stood out to me, however, was how interdisciplinary the Makerspace was\u2026 That kind of intellectual cross-pollination is rare\u2026 Now, as a medical student, I am working to solve problems, think critically across disciplines, and striving to be creative in doing so. Medicine, like the Makerspace, is about adaptability, collaboration, and understanding how different systems work together\u2026 The Makerspace gave me a space to be curious, to grow into a leader, and to build confidence in skills I didn\u2019t even know I had. It helped shape not just how I work, but how I think, and who I want to be. I’m endlessly grateful for the community I found there, and I hope future students continue to find the same joy, creativity, and purpose\u2014whether their path lies in tech, art, science, medicine, or something else entirely.<\/span><\/q> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Mohammad Faizaan<\/span>
\nRush Medical College \u201928
\nWilliams College \u201923
\n<\/span>BA in Chemistry and Religion<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

2023-2024<\/b><\/h2>\n

<\/a>CHEM:<\/b> From Teeth to Time: Discovering Siwalik Hills\u2019 Past Through Archaeology<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Paleontologist<\/a>

Paleontologist Anubhav Preet Kaur, on site in the Siwalik Hills, India<\/p><\/div>\n

Highly satisfactory.<\/span> This project, creating high-resolution 3D scans of four million-year old teeth, was both interdisciplinary and international. Paleontologist Anubhav Preet Kaur, of the Siwalik Hills, India, provided the teeth; Dr. Skinner analyzed them in the college chemistry department. An excellent example of college resources.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Anne Skinner<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Emerita
\n\u2014 Chemistry<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>Zilkha:<\/b> Environmental Sustainability Projects<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Zilkha

Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives<\/p><\/div>\n

David\u2019s been so supportive of our sustainability work, a wonderful collaborator, and a creative idea generator. The Makerspace has brought together partners from MCLA, the Zilkha Center and the Berkshire Innovation Center\u2019s to explore sustainable material solutions, such as plastics recycling for local reuse and the Zero Waste Action Plan that supports the College\u2019s strategic plans. We deeply appreciate his willingness to let our ~25 student-interns use his 13-point guide for writing effective blog posts. David wrote a great blog post on collaborations between the makerspace and sustainability<\/a> for our first newsletter of the new academic year. We are thrilled that the Makerspace provides such supportive collaboration and sharing of ideas, resources, and skills!<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Tanja Srebotnjak<\/a>, Director of the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives
\n\u2014 Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>Stockbridge-Munsee: <\/b>Garden Tour Exhibit<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Yoheidy<\/a>

Yoheidy Feliz sits with her series of laser engraved wood slabs. She later added a laser engraved metal QR code label that directs users to the hosted video tour.<\/p><\/div>\n

We benefited tremendously from the resources at the Makerspace; Yoyo Feliz interned with our office and creatively printed Virtual Exhibit Tour \u2018stops\u2019 and QR codes onto wood slabs sourced from the Hopkins Forest. She also printed custom commemorative slabs as gifts for Tribal members who are part of a speaker series at the exhibit. It is a fabulous addition to our project and we loved that it was done with local resources from here on Mohican lands. Oneewe (thank you)!<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Bonney Hartley<\/a>, Tribal Historic Preservation Manager
\n\u2014 Stockbridge-Munsee Community Historic Preservation Office<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>ARTS 314\/ENVI 310:<\/b> Design for the Pluriverse: Architecture, Urban Design, and Difference<\/h2>\n
\"ARTS<\/a>

One of several student designed outdoor structures<\/p><\/div>\n

3D printing offered by Makerspace for my architecture class empowers students to translate design concepts into physical models, aiding their comprehension of spatial relationships, scale, and proportions. The freedom to experiment with complex and intricate designs, enabled by 3D printing, encourages students to think more creatively and push the boundaries of architectural innovation. Finally, 3D printing enhances their portfolios by demonstrating technological proficiency while fostering creativity through intricate design experimentation.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Giuseppina Forte<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Environmental Studies 
\n\u2014 ARTS 314\/ENVI 310: Design for the Pluriverse: Architecture, Urban Design, and Difference<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>ENVI 316\/ARTS 316:<\/b> Governing Cities by Design: the Built Environment as a Technology of Space<\/h2>\n
\"Adobe<\/a>

Valeria Menj\u00edvar \u201826 created a quick-start documentation guide for using Adobe AERO AR with ENVI 316<\/p><\/div>\n

Makerspace’s Augmented Reality (AR) technology, integrated into my urbanism class, provides simulations of various urban scenarios, encompassing aspects such as traffic flow, pedestrian movement, and environmental conditions. Through AR, students gain the ability to interact with 3D urban models. This hands-on approach empowers them to envision the integration of their designs within the current urban landscape, enhancing their understanding of urban planning.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Giuseppina Forte<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Environmental Studies 
\n\u2014 ENVI 316\/ARTS 316: Governing Cities by Design: the Built Environment as a Technology of Space<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>Zilkha:<\/b> Class of 1966 Environmental Center Sustainable Garden Signs<\/h2>\n
\"Class<\/a>

Class of 1966 Environmental Center Sustainable Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s always such a pleasure collaborating with David and his team! After seeing the great work that Yoyo did on engraved wood signage for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, I mentioned to David that we\u2019ve always struggled to create durable signage for the envi center gardens. In addition to labeling the edible species we have growing, we\u2019ve also wanted to increase signage about what the gardens are and how folks can interact with them, but we simply haven\u2019t had the bandwidth. We\u2019re so excited to partner with Sam, David, Jason, and Josh to see this project come to life!<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Christine Seibert, Sustainability Coordinator
\n\u2014 Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>Zilkha\/MCLA\/BIC:<\/b> Zero-Waste Plastic Upcycling<\/h2>\n
\"Precious

Collaboration between Zilkha Center, MCLA, Berkshire Innovation Center, Makerspace<\/p><\/div>\n

The Williams Maker Space has been a joy to collaborate with. Meeting with David to share experiences and resources has already borne fruit. The Zero-Waste plastic upcycling project will be a great addition to our communities.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Thomas S. Burton<\/a>, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
\n\u2014 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>Zilkha:<\/b> Sustainable 3D-Printing Polyformer Project<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Camily<\/a>

Camily Hidalgo \u201826 builds the Polyformer<\/p><\/div>\n

The spirit of the Williams Makerspace is a wonderful mixture of enthusiasm, creativity, and collaborative problem solving that both harnesses student energy and inspires them to be the change they wish to see in the world. This project was a student passion project that dovetailed with strategic zero waste plastic reduction and reuse goals \u2013 a perfect Makerspace + Zilkha + co-curricular student project.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Mike Evans, Deputy Director
\n\u2014 Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

2022-2023<\/b><\/h2>\n

<\/a>WCMA:<\/b> Reinterpreting Maya Archaeological Artifacts<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Leah<\/a>

Leah Williams 3D printed this using clay filament for Dr. Beatriz Cortez<\/p><\/div>\n

Artist Beatriz Cortez used 3D printed models of Maya objects in our collection as reference for her site-specific installation, The Portals<\/i><\/a>. Additional models have been used by anthropology and art history classes to invite embodied learning, and will be critical for our K-12 education program and visitor accessibility.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Elizabeth Gallerani, Curator of Mellon Academic Programs
\n\u2014 Williams College Museum of Art<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>ASIA 325\/ARTH 325:<\/b> Chinese Oracle Bone<\/h2>\n
\"Chinese<\/a>

Chinese Oracle Bone: high-resolution resin print from 3D model<\/p><\/div>\n

Thank you so much for working on this. The oracle bone replica is a great teaching tool as it is available for students to handle, giving them an idea of the physicality of an ancient object. Anne Peale and I are delighted to teach with this.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Murad Mumtaz<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Art
\n\u2014 ASIA 325\/ARTH 325, The Arts of the Book in Asia<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>ASIA 325\/ARTH 325:<\/b> Chinese Oracle Bone<\/h2>\n
\"Javier<\/a>

Javier Robelo (Printmaking and 2D Studio Technician) applying etching ink to resin printed model to increase contrast and visibility of 3,500 year old characters<\/p><\/div>\n

WOW, what a transformation! That is so, so cool and now so usable in teaching — I can’t believe how much more visible the characters have become!. This project is particularly useful to our course because the original resides in the Cambridge University Library, England. Amazing to be able to inspect a replica on prem.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Anne Peale<\/a>, Chapin Librarian
\n\u2014 ASIA 325\/ARTH 325, The Arts of the Book in Asia<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>ARTH 360:<\/b> The Gothic Cathedral: An Art History<\/h2>\n
\"Virtual<\/a>

Virtual Reality with the VIVE Pro 2 headset<\/p><\/div>\n

The collaboration between the Makerspace and Visual Resources Center enabled my ARTH 360 Gothic Cathedral\u2019s students to use VR to virtually explore Chartres Cathedral (France), Amiens Cathedral (France), Salisbury Cathedral (England), and many others. This VR adventure enhanced my teaching as it helped bring these structures to life. Specifically, it allowed students to experience<\/b> cathedral space, which is such an important part of understanding what these marvelous medieval buildings were all about!<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Peter Low<\/a>, Professor of Art
\n\u2014 ARTH 360 The Gothic Cathedral: An Art History<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>Zilkha:<\/b> E4 Bug Off Team Project: Mitigating Japanese Beetle Damage<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"The<\/a>

The E4 Bug Off Project: Installed in the Williams College Community Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

This project shows how we can collaborate across departments and colleges. Harvey Mudd and Pomona colleges students with guidance from engineering faculty at Mudd worked for one semester with staff at the Zilkha Center to design and fabricate a prototype Asian Beetle repellent device that was environmentally benign and potentially effective. The device was subsequently refined a bit further in-house with the wonderful help of the Makerspace and put into the field in the summer of 2023. The plan is to 3D print additional devices to increase the ambient concentration of the repellent liquid and strengthen its efficacy.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Tanja Srebotnjak<\/a>, Director of the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives
\n\u2014 Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>CHEM:<\/b> Cave Bear Tooth from Divje Babe, Slovenia<\/h2>\n
\"Left:<\/a>

Left: 80 Ka Cave Bear molar tooth
Right: Resin 3D print from photogrammetry model<\/p><\/div>\n

Highly satisfactory. The successful 3D scan of this tooth was the proof of concept needed to move on to an international collaboration creating high-resolution 3D scans of four other teeth, about a million years old. These were part of a critical evaluation, by paleontologist Anubhav Preet Kaur, of the role of the Siwalik Hills in India in the expansion of hominins out of Africa.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Anne Skinner<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Emerita
\n\u2014 Chemistry<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>GERM:<\/b> Cloning the Last of its Kind<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Milton<\/a>

Milton Vento \u201826 using photogrammetry to create a 3D object<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m incredibly grateful that Milton Vento \u201826 successfully modeled and printed three impossible-to-find parts that fixed my desk\u2019s ability to hold manila folders. I\u2019m awestruck that he used this innocuous project to also test efficiency methods that resulted in him reducing the time required for a Makerspace student worker to complete a photogrammetry project from six weeks to a single day. I was very impressed by his technical knowledge, dedication to the project, and his perseverance. It was amazing to see how quickly the project materialized in front of my eyes!<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Christophe Kon\u00e9<\/a>, Associate Professor of German, Director of Oakley Center for Humanities & Social Sciences
\n\u2014 Oakley Center<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>CSS:<\/b> Press the Button Project<\/a><\/h2>\n
\"Sam<\/a>

Sam Samuel \u201826 and Nancy Macauley<\/p><\/div>\n

I had the pleasure to work with both Leah Williams and Sam Samuel on my Campus Safety Services “Press the Button” project. Leah had positive feedback and I cannot say enough about her communication skills. Sam worked with me on my vision, met several times to understand my needs, and designed and printed the button. Sam’s level of insight and patience went beyond my expectations. Thank you for having this wonderful resource!! Having students available in this space to create with you is so valuable for the whole Williams community.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Nancy Macauley, Campus Safety Services Officer
\n\u2014 Campus Safety Services<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>PSCI 22:<\/b> LIFT – Learning Intervention for Teens<\/h2>\n
\"Alex<\/a>

Alex Watson \u201823, Emily Romero \u201826, and Kiara<\/p><\/div>\n

Learning Intervention for Teens (LIFT) is a court-ordered mentorship program that pairs Williams students with teenagers involved in the Berkshire County juvenile justice system. It is co-sponsored by Williams and the Berkshire Juvenile Court. LIFT is a student-led winter-study course, sponsored by Pittsfield Chief of Police Mike Wynn \u201993 and Professor Cheryl Shanks (Political Science), but entirely run by Williams students who serve as mentors or directors. See also: Passing Along the Joy of Learning<\/a> and Berkshire Juvenile Court, Learning Intervention for Teens, Pittsfield, MA<\/a>.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Daniela Sanchez \u201824, co-director of LIFT
\n\u2014 PSCI 22 LIFT: Learning Intervention for Teens<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/a>RUSS\/GERM:<\/b> Matryoshkas and Yurts – Arts and Crafts Event<\/h2>\n
\"Encouraging<\/a>

Encouraging a Matryoshka 3D printed doll to separate<\/p><\/div>\n

Thank you so much! The event went well! Camily and David were really helpful throughout the process. Matryoshka and Yurts turned out great and my students were excited to see models printed by Makerspace. Both Matryoshka and Yurt models were also used in other classes of Russian to familiarize with the culture of Kazakhstan and Russia.<\/q><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Dilara Karashashova, Teaching Associate, German and Russian
\n\u2014 Center for Global Languages, Literatures & Cultures<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2024-2025 Alumni Reflection: My Experience in the Makerspace (Mohammad Faizaan \u201923) What stood out to me, however, was how interdisciplinary the Makerspace was\u2026 That kind of intellectual cross-pollination is rare\u2026 Now, as a medical student, I am working to solve … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1502,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-856","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1502"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856"}],"version-history":[{"count":86,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2118,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/856\/revisions\/2118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}