Winston-Hughes Wall ’25 works on a rocket in The Nest.
Among the resources and spaces available on campus, there’s only one where you can physically create anything you could possibly think of: The Makerspace, otherwise known as “The Nest.” Whether you use the space for its advanced machines or as a hangout area, The Nest has become a hub for those interested in stretching the limits of their imagination to tinker and create.
Opened in 2015, The Nest was renovated during the 2019 OWHL renovation, doubling in size and opening up more opportunities for the student body. Clubs such as Robotics and Rocketry, as well as classes such as machine learning, regularly use the space for their meetings, utilizing the vast tools that the space offers.
Many students come to The Nest to take advantage of its wide selection of materials and tools to fuel their imagination. It also offers a collaborative space for students to work and meet together as a group. Nick Zufelt, Instructor in Computer Science, provided insight into the different uses for The Nest and why it is such an important resource for the student body.
“The [Nest] offers lots of materials for cool projects. For example, we’re just doing a random thing here in the dorm, making a chart of who has what dorm duties to keep things organized, and it came up, ‘Oh, we need poster board, let’s go to [The Nest].’ So to a lot of students, I think that it’s a good space to spread out and work on… some big project that you couldn’t… do in [The Garver Room] or really anywhere else in the library. It does have lots of big fancy machinery when you need it, but I think that’s sort of flashier than [what] most students need most of the time. I think really simple things like paper, scissors, glue, almost sounds like the kindergarten stuff, but it’s interesting that high school [students]… [haven’t] moved beyond the needs of those things… You still have projects that need those fundamental tools, and the Makerspace is a place that allows that,” said Zufelt.
Patrick Xu ’27 emphasized the versatility in the selection of tools and materials that The Nest provides for students. Xu discussed how the machinery in The Nest is helpful for students looking to use resources that are not common in most campus buildings. This way, The Nest serves as a go-to spot for students who require access to technology that cannot be found anywhere else.
“There’s a laser cutter, a 3D printer, and one thing that’s really important is the color printer. It’s one of only two color printers on campus, alongside the one in the [Polk Lillard Center,] so it’s a really useful resource if you need that. They also offer a lot of different materials. For example, they have so many different types of wood, which is kind of cool to me,” said Xu.
Many students come to The Nest to work on projects for classes, clubs, and personal affairs. Alfonso Gonzales-Cano ’27 described how he used the space in order to fabricate a design for his business associated with Launchpad. He discussed The Nest’s central role in helping bring his imagination and idea to life.
“I’ve been using The [Nest] for three terms now… I first got interested in it because I had to prototype a phone case for Launchpad, which is a business incubator on campus. I came to the makerspace and they have 3D [printers], laser printers, and they even have tailoring stuff there. They also had staff there that are able to help with anything, and all this helped me make the perfect prototype,” said Gonzales-Cano.
However, not everyone uses The Nest to its full potential. While there are classes and clubs that take place in the space, many students have yet to become familiar with the area, or are scared to enter and use the resources available. Helios Hong ’25 expressed his wish for more activities to be hosted in The Nest, and noted ways that The Nest could become a more approachable space for all students in the future.
“Right now, not enough students utilize the resources of The [Nest]. I think they could do a better promotion for The [Nest] and we should let people know that the faculty in there are really helpful. The student leaders there are also really helpful and are willing to answer a lot of questions. I think that way, we can make The [Nest] a more popular spot on campus. Maybe bringing in more machines and gadgets or holding more regular club meetings, and even weekend arts and crafts activities could draw in a lot of new students,” said Hong.
