Getting Started

Reading is hard... but somehow, we need to put the necessary training information into your brain so that you stay safe and don't break stuff while using equipment in the Maker Hub. I'll try to convey all of this in as few words as possible (humor aside).

To successfully complete the Maker Hub Introduction Canvas quiz, you will need information from this page, The Hub, and 3 commandments. Find the link to the Maker Hub Introduction Canvas quiz here.

Certification

Maker Hub Introduction Canvas Quiz

How We Operate

The Maker Hub has a limited number of staff and student employees. It is largely run by student staff and volunteers who help with training and overseeing various technical shops. Our students are encouraged to "own" the space. In any public space, there has to be some set of rules that govern the activity in the space. Ideally, we would just use the clever “Rule 0: Don’t make me make a rule.” But, we felt it was better to come up with some overall guiding principles rather than a list of rules. Clearly, there are some obvious “rules” that get implied from these principles, but, we believe that if you embrace the principles, the rules will take care of themselves. These principles we like to call, the 3 commandments: Safety First, Reset the Space, Be Professional. Please explore the 3 commandments page for a deeper explanation. Many of these Wiki pages will have their own "3 commandments" section to cover unique details for equipment and tools.

There is a 6,000 square foot central room known simply as "The Hub" which provides a large work area with benches and tools for general making activities.

In general, equipment refers to larger machines than those things one might refer to as a "tool." However, in the Maker Hub, equipment is a special category of machines because, by definitions, every piece of equipment requires certified training before an individual is allowed to use it. Information on how to achieve this training is provided on the Wiki page for each piece of equipment. Equipment is marked in the Maker Hub by the use of special icons that are displayed either on, around, or above the equipment. An example icon is this one used for the Horizontal Bandsaw.

Training

How does our training system work? Take a look at the fancy graph below. Every node on the graph has a corresponding Canvas quiz (unless it is labelled with (No Quiz)). The middle column contains all of the facilities within the Maker Hub; most facilities have a corresponding Canvas Quiz. The right column contains each piece of equipment within the Maker Hub... and you guessed it; each piece of equipment has its respective quiz. The graph follows a sequential process of completing quizzes from left to right. For example, if I wanted to get certified on the Milling Machine, I would need to take the Maker Hub Intro quiz, then the Machine Shop quiz, then the Milling Machine quiz. All of the information I would need to pass these 3 quizzes can be found at the respective links given. After that, let's say that I also wanted to get certified on the Sewing Machine. Well, I've already passed the Maker Hub Intro quiz, and there's no quiz for The Hub... so I only need to pass the Sewing Machine quiz. So on and so forth. Keep in mind that all Canvas quizzes are reset at the beginning of the summer, so you will need to retake all your quizzes in the fall (but all demonstrations carry over). This is intentional to refresh your knowledge of how to operate each machine once a year.