The MakerSpace at UMass Boston

The UMass Boston MakerSpace gives our students, faculty, and staff access to physical and digital tools for scientific and creative projects. MakerSpace was spearheaded in 2016 by Information Technology Associate Chief Information Officer Apurva Mehta and School for the Environment Academic Labs Director Helenmary Holtz and was expanded into an interdisciplinary community of teachers and learners by IT Assistant Vice Chancellor of Client Services John Mazzarella ’08, G’11. Since taking the helm in June of 2023, Zack Ronald ’10, the university’s manager for innovative educational technology, has built MakerSpace into a signature program for UMass Boston, attracting users ranging from local public school students to entrepreneurs from the Venture Development Center to international visitors interested in learning more about this innovative initiative. Ronald shared some…