It was a busy spring for our Makers at The Factory, as students and teachers from all walks of life made use of UNT Libraries’ resources to complete projects or enhance their education.

From award-winning designs to innovative teaching techniques, here are a few highlights from The Factory’s spring 2018 semester.

Asia Montague, a UNT Student in the College of Visual Arts & Design, dropped by The Factory this semester needing to laser-cut a large number of silk flowers for a dress she was designing for the 2018 Fashion Group International (FGI) Scholarship Competition. The theme was The Future of Fashion, and appropriately The Factory’s full spectrum laser cutter came in handy for her design.

Maker techs in The Factory helped Asia cut each flower, made of many different colors of silk, which she then layered onto the flowers of the dress. With The Factory’s assistance and her terrific design, Asia won Best of Sewing at the show and the Paris American Academy Couture Award, which will let Asia study at the Paris American Academy this summer.

(Photo credit: FGI Scholarship Competition on Facebook)

During UNT’s 2018 Earthfest, professor Sophia Johnson of the Department of Biological Sciences asked her environmental science class to visit The Factory’s booth to get a sense of the Earth-friendly items The Factory can build.

The Factory showed off bamboo flower pots made in the shape of Willis Library and the iconic Hurley Administration Building. The Maker Techs 3D printed the pots in bamboo because it is one of the world’s most renewable resources, able to be re-harvested every three years without ever harming the environment.

The booth also presented their self-watering planters and a greenhouse they had built in The Factory. Students were able to use electronic tools from The Factory to measure the contents of the soils for pH levels and other signs of health.

Below are photos of the booth and some of the environment-friendly creations made at The Factory for Earthfest 2018.

During a busy Spring 2018 semester, The Factory helped play a pivotal role in an education course with their expertise and iPad resources.

The Factory’s Maker Techs loaded the educational apps onto the iPads and assisted with technological troubleshooting throughout the lesson. The students were asked for their assessments of the apps, best teaching practices and whether or not each app might be effective as an in-class exercise.

During the Spring ‘18 semester, Immaculate Conception Catholic School students from Mr. Mitchell Borowski’s eighth-grade technology class visited The Factory for a class on robotics and virtual reality.

Maker Devin led the lesson, assisted by Makers John-Paul, Alicia, and Jordan. The students were guided through the steps of making robotic cars from scratch with the technology available in The Factory and then broken up into small groups to complete the tasks. By all accounts, the students had a blast seeing the finished products come together.

Then the students were led to the Media Library, where they learned how to use the HTC Vive virtual reality gear on-hand in The Factory. The students then used the headsets to explore 3D projections of the International Space Station and Vatican City.