With Carson Bauer and Design Innovation, it was love at first sight.
“I took orientation and seeing all these things, I said, ‘There’s so much I want to do here,’” Bauer said.
However, as a computer science major, she wasn’t sure how she could use the space for her work. So, she decided to become a DI Crew Member and help others with their projects.
Down in the Reactor, Bauer often spends her days tinkering with the 3D printers. But her favorite machine is the button maker, which she used to make hand-drawn buttons for her first art market.
Since joining the crew, she has also helped make many of DI’s events a success. She led all of this fall’s Mini Maker Series workshops, stayed in the Reactor until midnight to work with hackers at last year’s Fashion Tech Hackathon and was on the team that created logos for the event.
On an average shift, Bauer also welcomes any challenge that comes through the Reactor doors.
“My favorite projects to help people with are things where they’re not quite sure it’s going to work,” she said. “They come in with an idea and a file, and you can collaborate.”
What makes DI special, Bauer said, is having a work environment where crew members openly exchange ideas, no matter their background or experience.
“You have nothing in common with someone, but if you ask them what they’re up to you can learn about something that otherwise you didn’t know existed,” she said.
Bauers recently joined DI’s student fellow program, where she wants to workshop ideas to improve campus and stay in touch with resources. In October, she will attend the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces (ISAM) in Pittsburgh where she hopes to learn more about makerspaces on other campuses and meet students to share her DI mindset with.