“We’re excited about this new space and hope it encourages students, faculty and staff to put their invention ideas into action by designing, prototyping and creating innovative work,” said Thomas Asmuth, associate professor in the UWF Department of Art and Design.
Dr. Barbara Larson, professor of Modern European Art, authored the proposal for the project which was awarded a $250,000 grant in 2017. Larson, along with Asmuth, and Dr. Wade Jeffrey, Reubin O’D. Askew Institute for Multidisciplinary Studies director, spearheaded the development of the Department of Art and Design’s Makerspace which, along with the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s new Computer Numerical Control Lab and the Sea3D Lab, are all housed in the Museum of Commerce.
Asmuth, who has managed a Makerspace club in the region, used his experience, networking and entrepreneurial…