November 10, 2022
By Ashley Ritchie

On November 6-9, the Georgia Institute of Technology hosted the 6th International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces (ISAM). ISAM is the preeminent annual meeting for the academic makerspace community.

Over four days, hundreds of faculty, staff, student, and industry leaders gathered to share makerspace knowledge, experience, and inspiration to maximize impact on the student learning experience and alumni success.

While on campus, attendees had the opportunity to tour six of Georgia Tech's makerspaces including the Flowers Invention Studio, the largest student-run makerspace in the nation.

Craig Forest, Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, served as the ISAM 2022 Conference Chair, and Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera delivered opening remarks. In addition, the following Woodruff School students, faculty, and alumni presented a paper, showcased a poster, or served as a panelist:

• “Fostering Culture in a Student Volunteer Run Makerspace” paper by mechanical engineering M.S. student Claire Crose (BSME '22) and Director of Design & Innovation Amit Jariwala
• “Proficient in Pink? Exploring the Perceived Impact of Gender-Stereotyped Personal Protective Equipment on Women in Makerspaces” paper by mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Anastasia Schauer (MSME ’21), mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Zoe (Klesmith) Alexander (BSME ’18, MSME ’21) and Adjunct Associate Professor Kate Fu
• “Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Teamwork, CAD, and Rapid Prototyping. Learning Graphical Communications Through an Introductory Hands-on Design-Build-Test Project” poster by Anna Wang (BSME ’20)
• “Artificial Intelligence in Makerspaces – Repurposing industry applications to serve makerspace needs” paper by mechanical engineering M.S. student Domenic DiCarlo (BSME '22), Nicholas Greenfield (MSME '22), and Director of Design & Innovation Amit Jariwala
• “Makerspace Network Analysis for Identifying Student Demographic Usage” paper by Henry Banks (MSME '22) and Professor Julie Linsey, in conjunction with collaborators from Texas A&M University
• “Student Leadership of Makerspaces,” a panel featuring Evan Davies (BSME '16, BSEE '16, MSME ’19), Tim Felbinger (BSEE '21), and mechanical engineering undergraduate student Lucas Garza
• "Diversity and Inclusion in Makerspaces," a panel featuring Professor Julie Linsey.

Awards were given for the best paper and best poster at the symposium.

Schauer, along with coauthors Alexander and Fu, won the Best Paper Award for their paper titled, “Proficient in Pink? Exploring the Perceived Impact of Gender-Stereotyped Personal Protective Equipment on Women in Makerspaces.”

"I had a great time presenting my first-ever conference paper at the 6th International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces. It was such an honor to come away with the Best Paper Award," said Schauer.

In the paper, the trio cautions makerspace leaders against providing gender-stereotyped PPE for women due to its ability to invoke stereotype and categorization threats, resulting in reduced self-efficacy and sense of belonging.

In addition, Wang won the Best Poster Award for her poster titled, “Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Teamwork, CAD, and Rapid Prototyping. Learning Graphical Communications Through an Introductory Hands-on Design-Build-Test Project."

"It was so exciting to meet other makerspace leaders and engineering educators at this conference (and at my alma mater, Georgia Institute of Technology, nonetheless). I hope to continue integrating hands-on learning into the engineering curriculum and to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in our makerspaces," said Wang.

As a current M.S. student at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), Wang is taking best practices from ME2110 to develop a hands-on design course at UCSD.

ISAM 2023 will take place October 18-20, 2023, at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh Campus.