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UNIVERSITY-BASED MAKERSPACES 393

innovations, and this principle should be applied to makerspace to encourage new connections of fledg-
university makerspaces seeking to be innovative. ling ideas.
Much research points to the role of “third spaces” There are many methods and activities that can
in innovation as a place for mixing ideas (11-13). be used to make connections in a makerspace. For
A third space is defined as a place where people example, something as simple as a message board
come together that is not work and is not home. The (physical or virtual) can be used to help members
traditional example of a third space is a coffee shop— connect. Often a person working in one discipline
leading to the cliché that new inventions are created seeks skills from another. The makerspace should
on the back of a napkin. In the case of students, the simplify and encourage these connections. For exam-
laboratory or lecture hall is the student’s work space, ple, a fashion design student who wanted to create
the dorm room might be the student’s home space, a garment that could change shape using electronic
and a makerspace or shop can be a student’s third actuators might need assistance from an electrical
space even if all are on the same university campus. engineer. A message board could help make this
Makerspaces have great potential to serve as a stu- connection.
dent’s third space, a space where ideas can mix. The Another method to encourage such connections
mixing of ideas is one of the great advantages mak- is to have design competitions that focus on interdis-
erspaces offer students, who may rarely encounter ciplinary design problems. This can also be used to
students from other fields in their discipline-specific get outside groups involved in the space. For exam-
work spaces or home spaces. ple, a research university might bring professionals
The mixing of ideas can be encouraged in mak- from the clinical health field to talk about problems
erspaces in several ways. First, the architecture of in clinical medicine. This could be the source of
the makerspace can be used to promote collabora- design problems that are then tackled by interdis-
tion. This might be accomplished by constructing ciplinary design groups made up of members of the
a common bench space in the center of the lab to makerspace.
encourage different members of the space to work
side by side and increase the likelihood that they Mechanisms for Ideas to Grow
will discuss their individual projects. The layout of Start-up businesses (and ideas) can face what is
the space may also encourage mixing. For example, referred to as the “Valley of Death” between a proof-
an electronics shop might be located next to an art of-concept for a product and profitability (16,17).
studio, and these spaces may be designed so that A makerspace with the characteristics outlined
work in one shop can be observed from the other. above will likely produce proof-of-concept prod-
Makerspaces often have dining or social or gaming ucts that have the potential to become innovations.
areas that can be a third space inside the makerspace. Makerspaces that desire innovation should have
Finally, even minor program details, such as bulletin mechanisms in place to help ideas to grow and cross
idea boards, can encourage mixing in a makerspace. the Valley of Death. (Note, innovation is difficult to
For example, some makerspaces have display spaces define, and a proof-of-concept product can be viewed
where members can show the work they have created as an innovation or as the result of an innovation.
in the space. These displays encourage mixing when Either way, it can be an important part of the process.)
other members observe the display space and are In a research environment, seed grants are often
exposed to other ideas. used to help ideas grow and to solidify the connection
of diverse ideas (18). Sometimes the desired goal of a
Mechanisms for Ideas to Connect seed grant is to get the researchers to publish together
An environment created to promote the mixing to formally solidify the connection to a point where
of dense groups of diverse ideas still requires those publishable work has been done. The research is then
ideas to connect (12,13). Sometimes the connections in a place where a proposal for more substantial fund-
are obvious and automatic and sometimes subtle. It ing is possible. Similarly, seed awards can be used in
is proposed that steps can be taken in a university makerspaces, allowing members to create a quality