Last week we had the opportunity to view some local Makerspaces to make new connections, share ideas, and gather information for our own Makerspace. We toured the Ottawa University STEM building, took a virtual tour of the Algonquin College Makerspace, and finished with a visit to the Museum of Science and Technology. Below are some pictures of the Ottawa U Makerspace, located in their STEM building as well as the Makerspace from the Museum.

Look at how many 3D printers the Ottawa University Makerspace has for their engineering students and the general population. They also house 3 laser cutters, a VR section, soldering stations, a metal CNC machine, and a variety of other tech tools in this space alone! The Makerspace is one room of many in their STEM building. It is not just engineering students that use these spaces either. It is obvious that the landscape of ‘how students learn’ is changing. The types of projects and learning here at the OJCS follow a similar trajectory and set our students up for success at the next level.

 

The display shelves of current and finished work are the first thing you notice when entering the Makerspace.

Workstations are set up with collaboration and experimentation in mind. The non-traditional learning space is littered with items made in-house. Can you spot all of the laser-cut boxes and signage?

Below are pictures of the machinery, woodworking, collaboration, and lab rooms at the Ottawa U STEM building. We didn’t even get to tour the ‘Sandbox’, which is a completely different building that combines entrepreneurship with design, and engineering. The prototyping and business startup connection is growing and a future path for many students looking to join the next wave of engineering and business startups. Hopefully, the OJCS Makerspace will be the spark and start of that journey for our students.