The new ETLC "Engineering Garage" is scheduled to be open to students in the fall of 2018.
Engineering programs provide students with an understanding of how and why things work, and how to make them. And now, a new maker-space facility will give them extra opportunities to apply those lessons with hands-on learning experiences.
Located on level 2 of the ETLC, the "Engineering Garage" will consist of two student work spaces: one "clean" and the other "dirty" according to Keith Franklin, Director (Facilities and Technology) for the Faculty of Engineering.
"It's going to be a large open-access space for anyone with a One Card to access all sorts of neat and interesting gadgets, to be able to explore their creativity and build something cool," he said.
Franklin describes the 6,000-sq. ft. Engineering Garage as a modern workspace, with "clean" equipment like 3D printers at the front end and more industrial tools and equipment at the back.
"We want to have equipment and tools for students to build whatever their imaginations can come up with," he said, adding that the Engineering Garage will work with other similar sites-including the new Mechanical Engineering Maker Space, and other maker space facitlites other faculties across campus.
"There are other maker spaces like this on campus and the idea is for all of them to be complimentary, to make sure we minimize duplication while lowering the barrier of entry-there will be training required to get access to anything."
The Engineering Garage is expect to be opened to students in the fall of 2018.