The Makerspace will hire two students who are a part of the Library's Makerspace community to explore the following research questions: What attracts users to the Makerspace? What are some characteristics of the Makespace community demographic? How does the community function? How can we encourage and grow the community while increasing the feelings of connection and belonging? How can we make the space more welcoming to those traditionally excluded in academic contexts? Specifically, how can we welcome and encourage members of the disabled, neurodiverse and LGBTQIA2+ communities to feel safe and a sense of belonging within the maker community. Additionally, if there are ways to make the Makerspace more welcoming to people who may feel nervous about their abilities with technology.

The student will need to complete the following activities to successfully complete the project:

• Participant observation of the Makerspace Community, analysis of recorded observations will be written
• Interviews with at least two members of the makerspace community will be conducted to explore questions contributing to the research questions. The interview data will need to be analyzed and that analysis written up
• Write a short speculative fiction telling a story that explores potential implications of the observations and interviews for the Makerspace and the Makerspace’s impact on the wider campus and city community.

The student will receive the following supports in their work:

• Mentoring on ethical community-based research, including participant observation and interview techniques;
• Mentoring on how to craft personas;
• Mentoring on writing speculative fiction.