LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Much like any other library, the one on Florida Gulf Coast University’s campus is quiet, that is until you walk through the Makerspace.

Matthew Losey, Creative Commons Lab Coordinator at FGCU, says the Makerspace is a hands-on learning environment.

From design stations and 3D printers to a Glowforge, almost anything is possible at FGCU’s Makerspace.

While it sounds like an opportunity only a few could take advantage of, this creative laboratory is for all students, faculty, and staff.

Creators on campus can bring their designs to life in this space.

Losey says, “You can do something creative and fun, but you can really hunker down and do something, you know, scholarly with what we have here.”

For sophomore Ella Fecteau, this place put her on a career path. She says, “I am a costume designer both for my major and also just for fun I do a lot of engineering mix with all my sewing and stuff like that, so I like to 3D print components of my costumes.”

With nothing to do during the pandemic, Fecteau picked up costume design, but when sewing didn’t give her the results she wanted, she turned to 3D printers like these.

“It isn’t a very public thing, but 3D printers are very big in the cosplay costume community and I want to bring all the fun components that cosplayers use into the costuming world,” she said.

Thanks to FGCU, it’s all possible!

“My biggest project that I am still working on is my Bo-Katan costume. She’s a Mandalorian character, and it’s a full suit of body armor, which it’s a lot. It’s the helmet for the legs and arms. It’s a big, long process,” Fecteau said.

But with the help of 3D printers, she’s able to maximize her time and quality, “That’s so nice about it is that everything is super lightweight, which, if you make something out of plaster or something like that, it’s gonna be so heavy it hurts your head 3D printers make everything really light and thin.”

These students are creating products that matter now and, in the future, that’s the purpose behind the makerspace and those who come in everyday to use it.

Chris Diaz says he and his group are making a fan blade for a class project in his Intro to Engineering class.

Without the 3D printers available on campus, he says he would have to buy one to complete the project.

Instead, Diaz can take a short walk to the maker space and work with the same top-of-the-line tools that the professionals use every day.

“I’ve tried to look for places locally that do these kinds of 3-D printing labs, and it is a challenge just to find one that’s not on a company scale unless you have your own printer at home that’s already a roadblock you have to cross, FGCU already provides for you,” Diaz said.

Losey said, “We’re looking to expand to larger 3-D printers and add a bunch of other different kinds of machinery here, and I think this space is just showing our commitment to the students. You know, it’s showing that were there for obviously the students but then for the community as a whole.”