Servo - December 2016

Amaker space is essentially a communal shop where members get access to training, tools, and equipment. In many cases, the community itself is a resource to the other members working on projects or solving creative/commercial problems. Maker spaces are the cutting edge of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture. HackerLab members are interested in technology, coding, and software, in addition to — or in combination with — physical manufacturing. In recent years, maker spaces have also been used to foster entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurs use HackerLab to create working models and prototypes of new inventions; they meet up at HackerLab to brainstorm ideas and collaborate on new ventures. Community members use the space to learn new crafts, pursue creative hobbies, and design one-of-a-kind objects that meet their personal or professional needs. Students of all ages — from grade school to college — use the HackerLab as a sandbox where they can get firsthand experience with high tech workshop equipment. For some students, this will be the place where they take their first steps towards a career in robotics, design, coding, or the arts.

HackerLab got its own start four years ago, when entrepreneur and DIY artist, Gina Lujan got the idea for a community space: open to the public and a resource for local students; and simultaneously an incubator for new product designs and entrepreneurial business ventures. In designing HackerLab, Lujan was bringing a decade of business and “maker” experience to bear. In fact, she was one of the first people to put HackerLab to the test.

Shortly after HackerLab opened, Lujan’s home was destroyed in a fire. Using re-purposed wood and whatever other materials she could find, she began designing and creating furniture for her new home. Most of what’s in her house now was once scrap; at HackerLab, Lujan

It's my first day volunteering at the HackerLab, and I'm standing in front of a dozen fifth grade students. "For the next part," I tell them, "you need to think of an image. Anybody got one?" In about two seconds, they're all shouting out ideas. A tree. A pineapple. "Star Lord" from Guardians of the Galaxy. A map of Hawaii. I tell them to find a computer and a partner; older kids are stationed next to each laptop. They'll help these students turn their ideas into a personalized decal, laser cut to order on a wooden tile. For many of these kids, this is their first introduction to what a "maker space" really means.