SLO MakerSpace is alive with the din of industrious activity: the buzz of the router, the whir of a sewing machine and the gentle hum of the pottery wheel.
Though the tasks have different outcomes, they are driven by the same desire: to learn, create and innovate.
SLO MakerSpace is a membership-based workshop where people can use machinery, learn skills and collaborate on projects. It opened last February, the brainchild of local physician Clint Slaughter and several like-minded individuals.
Since then, its membership rolls have grown, propelled by a nationwide interest in building, inventing, tinkering and upcycling (converting waste materials into useful items) known as the maker movement.
Manufacturing and making things “have historically been a strong part of our culture,” said Thomas Katona, assistant professor of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Cal Poly biomedical…
