MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – It’s a resource for classes, a room to make things, and a place to work on repairs. All of these descriptions apply to the Middlebury Makerspace, a room on campus that opened in May in the Freeman International Center (FIC). It’s the only location at the College that serves as a laboratory for students who want to make something but need tools and the company of a like-minded community of enthusiastic creators.
“What I like best about it is the people who have been showing up and the free, open community that has begun to form,” said Amanda Kirkeby ’19, one of the student leaders of the Makerspace. “Everyone is willing to share their knowledge and no one is afraid to ask questions and make mistakes. If we don’t know how something works or something breaks, we put our heads together and figure it out.”
Kirkeby and other students also refer to the…