by
Jasmine Leonas

New geoscience makerspace opens on campus

Mines students can use the space to work on hands-on projects, test out ideas and experiment with new designs
Students work in the new geophysics makerspace on campus

Matthew Oleszko works on the construction of a robotic geophysical data acquisition vehicle for a geophysical engineering class project.

A new geoscience makerspace has opened on the Mines campus, giving undergraduate and graduate students a place where they can experiment with novel forms of instrumentation and try out their designs related to Earth observation.

Located in the Green Center, students can utilize the space to build and test equipment, which can then be used for research out in the field. Projects being worked on in this space include an effort to build low cost geoscience sensors that can be attached to drones and robotic vehicles, expanding their capabilities in Earth observation.

"We want to encourage students to embrace design challenges and use their creativity to create instrumentation that better suits their research and projects," said Jeffrey Shragge, associate professor of geophysics. "It's sometimes more productive to customize equipment instead of buying new, in terms of both cost effectiveness and really creating what you need. By getting hands-on experience with instrumentation, students also become more familiar with how they operate, and can troubleshoot should they need to while acquiring data." 

Students work in the geophysics makerspace
Martis James-Ravenell (left) and Lizzie Bruce (right) examine material required for printing circuits on the Geomaker PCB (printed circuit board) printer.
Photo by Ben Funk

 

Students work in the geophysics makerspace
Matthew Oleszko (left) and Kassidy Sharits (right) examine components for a robotic geophysical data acquisition vehicle for a geophysical engineering class project.
Photo by Ben Funk

 

Students work in the geophysics makerspace
 Peiyao Li reviews the circuitry required for a geophysical engineering course assignment.
Photo by Ben Funk

 

Students work in the geophysics makerspace.
Cameron Modisett examines a low-cost drone donated to the geophysics makerspace.
Photo by Ben Funk
Students work in the geophysics makerspace.
Sharits (left) and Associate Professor Jeffrey Shragge (right) review Arduino code for the robotic geophysical data acquisition vehicle for a geophysical engineering class project.
Photo by Ben Funk

 

Jasmine Leonas headshot

Jasmine Leonas

Public Information Specialist
About Mines
Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and innovations to serve industry and benefit society – all to create a more prosperous future.